Deny Thy Father
by Indigo Kitti
Summary: PreHBP On the eve of his seventeenth birthday Draco's mother tells him of her shrouded past and his real father. Now, desperate to find his mate before it's too late Draco must look in the most unlikely of places. Veela!Draco, slash
1. Prologue: When I'm Alone

Disclaimer: No owny, no suey

Warnings: This story will contain slash (m/m) pairings in the near future. If you don't like that then leave.

Author's notes: Well to start, I loooooooooove veela stories! I gave this one my own twist, and I hope you like it. It's currently my only 'serious' story, I hope I can do it! Lol, some of you may also be wondering about the genre. Angst/Humour? But it works dammit! Just read...

XoX

Prologue: When I'm Alone

A tear slowly trickled down the woman's pale face, falling gracefully from her cool blue eyes. Golden hair shined in the soft light of the full moon as the woman knelt in the damp grass of the shrouded meadow and sang.

"_Kylh gõ kwah skõ do skõ dee shwl na'a tahm pya skee sklõ..."_

The song reverberated through the night and tears continued to flow from the woman's eyes. Holding her hands up to the brightening sky the woman's song took on a tone of desperation.

"_...Dee kõ dee nee kah gõ faey, gah fin dyon ly kõ gee, nah sa le õ le ah, ah õ-;õ le ah, ah õ le ah, ah õ le ah."_

As the final note faded into silence the woman broke down. She fell onto the grass and wept, occasionally calling out a line of the song in desperation as the sun rose to the east.

The sun's light shone on the woman and it was clear that she belonged in the sun. Her hair sparkled around her head like a halo and her eyes sparkled a clear blue like the cloudless sky above her. Crying out when the sun hit her the woman began to sob even harder, body shaking.

A man walked into the meadow, scowl fixed firmly on his face as he pulled the woman off her knees and forced her to walk with him to the waiting mass of black-cloaked figures.

"No! Let me go your bastard!" she cried, beating the man's back as hard as she could, struggling with all her might.

The man turned, sneered and slapped her hard across the face, gray eyes flashing dangerously. "Narcissa," he spat, "you'll behave or you'll be in for a world of hurt."

The woman turned to him, eyes strangely dead, "You think you can hurt me anymore then you already have, Lucius? I'd rather _die_ then live as your wife for another second!"

"Bitch, you think I'd kill you? Oh no, you're far too precious a trophy for that. I had something else in mind. No matter how much you hate me, Narcissa, you still love our son."

Narcissa bit her tongue. She'd almost done it, she'd almost escaped the clutches of Lucius – again, but the song... the calling hadn't worked – again. When Rowan had taught her the song he'd said that if she sang it then he'd come, no matter where he was. Always.

It could only mean one thing.

Rowan was dead. The love of her life was dead.

"I don't know what you think you were doing, Narcissa," Lucius said in a falsely calm tone as the approached the waiting Death Eaters, "you cannot keep this up. The one you are calling is dead, has been dead for many years. Give up."

If the song hadn't just failed she wouldn't have believed him, would have kept hoping for Rowan to sweep in and rescue her and Draco, but now it was too late and her focus in life shifted. Draco was now what her world revolved around, and she wasn't going to lose him to Lucius and his foul schemes.

XoX

Author's Notes:

The song does actually exist, it's called 'Skidegate Lovesong' because the actually title of this song Gah dõ can't be translated into English... well it can... but not well, it means something along the lines of 'Desperate Cry' ; and the people who transcribed the song for mass consumption decided that wasn't a good title. The song's an old lovesong that's sung by people who have a traditional upbringing ish and are of Skidegate decent. The lyrics here are the whole song – it's very slow, very sad, and very beautiful – and it means something along the lines of 'When I'm all alone, I close my eyes, I think of you and it makes me so sad I want to cry.'

Review feed my muse!


	2. Chapter 1: Deny Thy Father

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

Warnings: Slash-y goodness

Author's Notes: Oh my! Thanks to all of you who reviewed!

Short Fat Fag: As much as your username pains me, I needed to respond to your review! (lol) I've read your story, I assure you. Definitely one of my favorites, and definitely different. I really see your point when it comes to the whole 'not resisting' thing, unfortunately my story won't have the long fight your does, but he won't cave in right away either. And I'll try to be as original as possible, but I make no promises!

AnnieT: I'm glad! And I definitely agree with the sentiment!

And to everyone else (whose reviews mainly consisted of 'update or else'), here it is!

XoX

Chapter 1: Deny Thy Father

Draco had always known he was good looking. By the time he was seven years old he'd developed a huge ego and a sense of vanity that had no rivals.

It was only natural he was the first person to notice when his looks started to subtly change.

His eyes shined with an inner light that captivated people from across the room and his skin was absolutely perfect. His hair had gone through the least amount of change, growing shinier and virtually impossible to mess up even without his gel. He looked frail at a casual glance, like the kind of person you'd want to protect, but upon closer inspection one could see the finely defined muscle that rippled under his flesh.

To sum it up, Draco Malfoy was beautiful.

Lost in his reflection, he was startled by the discreet knock on his door and couldn't stop himself from doing a double take as his mother entered the room.

"Ma petite libellule," she said sadly, "there's something I need to tell you, honey. But do not tell your father or there will be grave consequences."

Draco turned and walked to his lavish, king-sized, silk covered bed and sat down – hard. "Mother?" he said, shocked at her emotional words. The last time she'd called him her 'little dragonfly' – her favorite pet name for him – he'd been six years old.

She smiled, despair plainly written over her features, "I love you Draco, but I hate Lucius. I hate him with almost all of my being."

Draco had known his parents didn't get along but to hear his mother state it so plainly...

"Draco I've been keeping a terrible secret from you."

"Does it... Does it have something to do with father?" he managed to ask, eyes wide.

"I... Draco, Lucius isn't your father."

Draco's eyes grew even wider, and his already pale skin became all but translucent. "M – mother," he gasped, "he... are you?"

"I am your mother Draco, and you are the son of the only man I ever loved. The only man I ever will love, but he's dead now – Lucius killed him."

Draco nodded mutely. Lucius hadn't been much of a father really, and all he was really in shock over was the fact that he _wasn't_ a Malfoy. He didn't have to comply with the stupid rules his father had laid out, didn't have to follow the twelve step Malfoy program.

He was... free, in a sense. Without the burden of the Malfoy name he was merely a talented, attractive young bastard son. Sure, he was bound to lose his inheritance, but as the thoughts of all he could do now struck him it didn't seem to matter anymore.

"Draco? Draco there's something else I need to tell you."

He turned his attention back to his mother and nodded for her to continue.

Clearing her throat Narcissa Malfoy moved closer the son she'd left to Lucius for eleven years and took one of his hands gently in hers. It was the first meaningful contact they'd had since Lucius had dragged a six year old Draco kicking and screaming from his mother's side.

"Mon fils précieux, je t'aime. You are the son of my true love, my soul mate. And he... he... Draco, you're half Veela. I was Rowan's mate, and you are our son."

Hyperventilating was a new experience for Draco. He'd always took pains to avoid such an unflattering situation; Lucius had trained it out of him.

And yet, here he was gasping for air as his mother clutched his hand and frantically told him to calm down.

He was half-Veela. Well that explained rather a lot, didn't it?

"Draco!" Slapping him hard across the face Narcissa attempted to shock her son out of his panic attack.

'M- mother," he stuttered, clutching his injured cheek and staring at her, "what if I bruise?"

His mother, reassured nothing about her son had changed, smiled and patted him happily on his uninjured cheek. "Oh don't worry darling, I didn't hit you _that_ hard."

He frowned at her levity but forgave her anyway.

Narcissa, seeing her son had calmed down somewhat, decided it was time to cause another bout of hysterics. "Draco, what do you know about Veela?"

"Hmm... They're extremely attractive – don't give me that look mother, it's true – they have 'Veela Allure' which can cause even the most powerful wizard's to submit to them, and they can transform into horrific bird-thingys."

"Bird-thingys? Very scientific, Draco."

"Oh mother, leave science to the muggles who invented it."

His mother laughed softly. "Unfortunately that's not all there is to being a Veela."

"Oh?"

"Yes, you also... well, that is to say male Veela also... I... Draco, you..."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Mother, just spit it out already. It's very unbecoming for a lady to stutter."

Narcissa sighed. Better Draco hear it from her now then for him to go off to Hogwarts this year and find out there, unprepared. "Draco, male Veela mate for life."

"What? As in the first person I have – well at this point it'd be had sex with, wouldn't it? – is my mate?"

"Doesn't work like that, sweetie. You see, male Veela hit their puberty when they turn sixteen. When you see your mate you'll find yourself captivated by their every move, every word they say, and knowing the type of man your father was you'll also be very possessive and jealous."

"So Veela mating has nothing to do with sex then?"

"Oh heavens Draco!" Narcissa cried, flinging her head back and laughing, "You should have seen your father and I when we were young. Anywhere, anyplace, anytime!"

Draco blanched. While he rather liked the new Narcissa, he didn't need to know about her sex life.

She calmed down, took a look at his face, and started laughing again. "Draco," she managed to pant out, "Draco I was just kidding." _Well no,_ she thought as she watched Draco return to his usual color, _I wasn't but you don't need to know how or where you were conceived._

"So does Veela mating have anything to do with sex?"

Narcissa nodded her head. "Yes, to fully complete the bond between a Veela and its mate they must have sex. Draco, once you find your mate you must complete the bond as soon as possible. The longer you go without your mate the more depressed you become, and any harsh words from your mate will bring you to your knees. I only hope for your sake that your mate is kind to you."

"And how will I know who my mate is?" Draco asked, frowning slightly at the thought of anyone being able to bring him to his knees.

"You'll know," Narcissa answered, eyes shining in sadness and pride, "I'm told that the sight of them will take your breathe away, and to hear their voice is to hear what heaven must sound like. Their scent will be all encompassing to you, and when they touch you you'll be lost... and at the same time... _saved_." The last word was said with such reverence, such absolute longing that Draco felt his eyes mist.

Narcissa saw this and smiled at her son. "Don't worry mon coeur, as long as I have you I'll live on." Narcissa lent over to her son and did something she hadn't done since he was four years old, something Draco couldn't ever remember her doing for him before.

Narcissa hugged her son.

XoX

Harry Potter sat in the kitchen of the Burrow and waited.

It was July thirtieth, the eve of his seventeenth birthday, and he watched his beat up watch with baited breath.

In the magical world seventeen was the age of majority and Harry knew that tonight, once the clock chimed the witching hour, he'd receive his full inheritance. Hermione and Ron had been willing to wait up with him, but he'd told them to go to bed. There were some things he needed to be alone to do.

He looked down at his watch again. The digital numbers glared a bright, Avada Kedavra green in the dim kitchen and he smiled as he remembered the confusion the watch had caused Ron.

_You mean the numbers just _change_ and it doesn't use magic?_

Hermione and Ron were finally together and, while Harry was undeniably happy for his two best friends, he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Sometimes he felt like it wasn't fair, Ron and Hermione finding each other while he, who had suffered so much more, was left alone and loveless. Not that he would deny his friends that happiness they caused each other, far from it, he wished them well and when they'd approached him earlier this summer to tell him of their engagement and subsequently receive his blessing he's been overjoyed.

And yet sometimes he couldn't help but wonder what I might be like to have someone just for him. Someone he could trust with everything he was and everything he would become.

A shrill beeping broke through his thoughts and he looked down at his watch once again, smiling. It was now officially July thirty-first, Harry Potter was seventeen years old.

With a small popping sound a golden key appeared on the table and as Harry reached for it he felt something bubbling up inside him.

Pain.

An intense pain that started at his stomach and gradually worked its way up to his head. His eyes burned and he broke in a cold sweat, beginning to convulse. He fell to the floor with a resounding thud. Screaming he clutched his forehead, which felt like a hot spike was being driven through it.

Ron and Hermione came hurdling down the stairs and gasped as the saw Harry's pain wracked body lying twitching on the ground.

Harry held onto consciousness long enough to gasp out two words.

"Help me."

XoX

Narcissa had made it halfway down the hall of Draco's private wing before a blood-curdling scream stopped her in her tracks. _Shit,_ she thought, breaking out of character for a moment, _I'd forgotten._

Spinning around she ran was fast as her ninety-galleon heels would let her and flung the heavy doors to her son's room open. Draco lay in a trembling ball on the floor of his room, screaming and clenching his fists.

Narcissa grabbed her son and held him close, soothing him and waiting for the convulsions that ran through his delicate body to stop. Taking a deep breath Narcissa began to sing softly, a lullaby just for him;

"_Swete sone, reu on me _(Sweet son, have pity on me)

_And breste out of thy bondes_ (and break out of your bonds)

_For me thinket that I see_ (for I think I see)

_Thoru Bothen thin bondes_ (through both your hands)

_Nailes driven into the tree _(nails have been driven into the tree)

_So reufuliche thu honges_ (so painfully you hang there)

_Now is betre that I flee_ (it would be better if I fled now)

_And lett alle these londes_ (and abandoned all these lands)

_Swete sone, thy faire face_ (Sweet son, your beautiful face)

_Droppet all on blode_ (is dripping with blood)

_And thy body downward_ (and your body beneath)

_Is bounded to the rode_ (is bound to the cross)

_How may thy modress hert _(how will your mother's heart)

_Tholen so swete fode_ (endure, such a sweet child)

_That blessed was of alle born _(that was born most blessed of all)

_And best of alle gode _(and was the most goodly of all)

_How may thy modress hert _(how will you mother's heart)

_Tholen so swete fode _(endure, such a sweet child)

_That blessed was of alle born _(that was born most blessed of all)

_And best of alle gode _(and was the most goodly of all)

_Swete sone, reu on me_ (Sweet son, have pity on me)

_And bring me out of this live_ (and deliver me from this life)

_For me thinket that I see _(for I think I see)

_Thy deth, it neyhet swathe _(your death approaches quickly)

_Thy feet nailed to the tree _(your feet have been nailed to the tree)

_Now may I no more thrive _(now I may never prosper)

_For this werld withouten thee _(for without you, all of this world)

_Ne shall me maken blithe"_ (can never make me happy)

Narcissa's song faded into silence and Draco lay motionless in his mother's arms. Picking him up as best she could Narcissa dragged him to his bed and lay him to rest.

_How could I have forgotten?_ she thought, sitting on the side of Draco's bed and waiting for him to wake, _How could I have forgotten what the beginning of the bond feels like?_

She remembered her own seventeenth birthday, her body shivering and collapsing, and the screams that tore her throat raw. And when she awoke... She got up and walked to Draco's mirror, removing the concealing charms as she went.

On a regular day she would have seen a cold, posh woman staring regally back at her, but now without the charms to hide what Rowan had shared with her she saw a woman, still posh but no longer cold. Her eyes showed worry now, but buried in them was also happiness – a joy in life that Narcissa Malfoy had never experienced but Narcissa Black knew well.

Sighing she turned to her son again and replaced the charms. Rowan had been a subtle person, leaving his mark of ownership in her soul instead of declaring it on her body, but Draco... Draco was by no means subtle when it came to marking his territory and she only hoped that whomever woke up tomorrow would deal with the changes well.

Of course, the start of the bond could only mean one thing. Draco's mate had turned seventeen today and Draco had already met them.

It was almost too convenient.

XoX

Harry woke to the sound of Ron and Hermione fighting.

"We have to inform Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione was yelling, obviously at her wit's end.

"Hermione!" Ron cried, equally exasperated, "Don't you think we should at lest wait until Harry wakes up?"

Groaning Harry sat up and said, "I'm awake. What happened?"

Hermione and Ron turned to him and gasped.

"Merlin Harry!" Ron cried, mouth agape, "What happened to you eye?"

Harry grumbled and got out of bed. Walking to the mirror Ron had recently acquired he leaned in and examined his eyes. His right eye was normal, green and vibrant as ever, but the other... the other eye was silver-gray and Harry had to poke himself in the eye a couple of times before he believed it was really his eye.

Hermione rushed over and handed him his glasses, putting them on he suddenly had to close his silver eye, it hurt to much to look through his glasses with it there.

"What happened?" he repeated, gesturing to his eye.

Hermione shook her head mutely, gazing at the steely eye warily.

Sighing, Ron took it upon himself to explain to Harry, "Well mate, we don't really know. One moment you were downstairs waiting for your inheritance and we were upstairs waiting for you, and the next you were screaming bloody murder. When we got downstairs you passed out."

Hermione, breaking out of her daze nodded along. "Right, now don't you think we should tell the Headmaster, Harry?"

Harry, once again looking at his new eye nodded. Even if he didn't get along with Dumbledore as well as he used too, this was too weird to ignore. "Sure, we can floo him as soon as I get changed," she said, reaching for the hem of his oversized shirt and pulling it off. He turned to his trunk, subsequently turning his back to his friends, and heard them gasp loudly behind him.

"Oh my Gods!" Ron cried, pointing in horror at his right shoulder.

Harry frowned slightly, when he'd first gotten the stag tattoo he'd shown his friends right away. It was something he was proud of, designed by Sirius – well actually, when he'd gone through Sirius' things the year after he died he'd found it scribbled in the margin of a potions essay from his fifth year – it was precious to him as it represented both his father and godfather.

"What Ron?" he asked, puzzled by the red-head's reaction.

"Look in the mirror," Hermione said quietly.

Turning Harry looked at his bare right shoulder and gasped, instead of the shimmering stag he now had a tattoo of a ghostly thestral.

XoX

When Draco woke up the first thing he saw was his mother's concerned face as she leaned over him.

"Oh Draco," she said sadly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this. I didn't think it would happen just minutes after I left."

Draco smiled reassuringly at his mother, he faintly remembered a song breaking through equally mixed pain and joy he'd felt. The joy still lingered, but the pain was gone. "Mother," he said calmly, "mother it's alright. I'm fine, I'm better then fine. I feel..."

His mother smiled softly at him and stroked his left cheek fondly. "There's something you need to see."

Narcissa pulled out her wand and conjured a handheld mirror. She held it out to her son and he gasped, staring at the vibrant green eye that looked back at him. "My eye..." he breathed, "how did this happen?"

Narcissa smiled at him. "That's not your eye my sweet, that's the eye of your mate. I'd wager that they now have one of yours now too. It's a mark, a reminder to all that they're your mate and your alone."

Draco, for a reason he couldn't yet name, smiled at this. "Mine," he said, stroking around his eye, "all mine."

XoX

Author's Note: In case you haven't guessed, Draco's going to have Harry's tattoo on his shoulder now! Major thanks to die koenigin who practically wrote the last half of this chapter for me! I got a little bit of writer's block and she helped coach me through it. She's also the one who supplied the song Narcissa sings in this chapter, it's called 'Swete Sone' (Sweet Son) and it's a traditional Old English song. Don't worry Narcissa isn't going to sing in every chapter, but sometimes it just fits in...

French translations:

Ma petite libellule – my small dragonfly

Mon fils précieux, je t'aime– my precious son, I love you

Mon coeur – my heart

Please leave me a review and give me some suggestions!


	3. Chapter 2: Always on my Mind

Disclaimer: Not mine... duh.

Warnings: S-A-L-A-S-H (I almost typed 'salsa' in there by mistake...)

Author's Notes: Ah! For some reason my spell-check isn't working right now! I hope you can forgive me for my errors... Ok, onto more important things, THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL RESPONSE!!! You have no idea how much I'm bugging my friends about the fantastic response you've given me! (Think, 'OMG OMG OMG! I HAVE 35 REVIES FOR TWO CHAPTERS!' yelled at you everyday with a slowly increasing number – although at this point 35 is the exact number of reviews I have) I've included user-specific responses (when required or I felt the need) at the bottom of the page. (Sorry if anyone get their hopes for more then roughly eight pages of story up ;;)

This chapter is dedicated to Slytherinkid07, thanks for your hilarious review – it had me in stitches! And it actually took up 2KB in my e-mail account as compared to the others which were all 1KB!

XoX

Chapter 2: Always on my Mind

Harry Potter sat in the kitchen of the Burrow and chewed his fingernails. He hadn't been allowed to go out with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to fetch Dumbledore – part of the deal he'd made with Dumbledore that enabled him to spend the summer at the Burrow was that he was confined to the house. He couldn't even go outside without an armed escort.

Biting a little too far on one nail he winced as the tangy taste of blood flooded his mouth.

"Harry mate, are you all right?" Ron asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Harry screeched, jumping out from under his friend's hand, "Not you!"

Ron back off, holding his hand away from his body. "Calm down, I promise I won't touch you."

Harry stared, wide-eyed, for a moment before a shudder ran through his body and he collapsed back onto his chair. "Sorry Ron, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Harry!" Hermione called as she ran down the stairs, "Harry, are you alright? I heard you yelling!"

Ron turned to his fiancé and shrugged. "He's just on edge is all, right mate? Nothing's wrong."

_No..._ Harry thought, breath speeding a bit as a now familiar feeling welled-up inside him, _something's horribly, terribly wrong._ "R-Ron," he managed to gasp out, pupils dilating in fear, "Ron, what did you just say?"

"Err... Nothing's wrong?"

"B-before that!"

"Uh... 'He's just on edge, right mate?' something like that?"

The feeling hit again, this time it had him doubled over in pain and longing and... was there jealousy mixed in there?

"D-Don't."

"Don't what, Harry?" Hermione asked gently, kneeling next to him but refraining from taking his arm.

"D-don't call me th-that."

"Don't call you what?"

"Mate."

XoX

When he concentrated Draco could vaguely hear what his mate heard, feel what his mate felt, and taste what his mate tasted. But, strangely he couldn't see anything – strange because they'd swapped eyes, you'd think it'd be the first sense to come to him.

And he heard another man's voice, drifting slowly through his ears as if carried a long distance by a great wind.

"..._mate, are... alright?'_

Draco almost shrieked in outrage. Some other man _dared_ to claim what was rightfully his?

He felt a hand lower onto his mate's shoulder and immediately flew into a blinding rage. _Someone else was touching _his _mate!_

Wings sprouted from his back, tearing his shirt to pieces and he felt the skin around his fingernails prickle as they extended and turned into large talons.

The voice drifted to his ears again, and again it said something he didn't want to hear.

"... _is... mate?"_

His shrieking rose in volume as he voiced his protest. _Mine,_ he thought fiercely, _my own._

A small murmuring reached his ears, another voice. But this one... he knew it must be his mate. The voice was music to his ears, soft and caressing with a heady rough edge and... pain. His mate's voice was filled with pain.

It took him a moment to realize just who was causing the pain. It wasn't the mysterious other who had dared to claim his mate, no, it was he himself who caused his mate's suffering.

_My only,_ he thought desperately as he felt the pain lessen, _I'm so sorry. So sorry._ His wings and talons collapsed into themselves, leaving him teary-eyed and dressed in only pants, as his anger withdrew.

XoX

Once the pain stopped Harry was able to tell Hermione and Ron what he remembered.

"There was a voice I think, it was telling me to get you to stop calling me that – that it wasn't right," he paused for a moment and thought, "and then there was pain. A lot of pain... but it was... it wasn't a physical pain, you know? More like someone was stomping on my soul."

Hermione nodded her head and tried to make sense of the new information.

"So," she said, "it was like someone was attached to you? Do you think it might be You-Know-Who?"

Rolling his eyes at the use of Voldemort's safer nickname Harry shook his head. "It wasn't _that_ kind of pain. It was... it was longing. An ache to be somewhere else that was so fierce it overtook you in waves, and... and jealousy too. A sad jealousy."

Hermione blinked and was opening her mouth to say something else when the fireplace coughed forth a cloud of smoke and dust as the Weasleys and Dumbledore flooed in.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, walking over to him and looking him straight in his multi-colored eyes, "we need to talk."

_No shit, Sherlock._

He didn't say it, but boy was it ever running through his mind.

XoX

Narcissa found Draco lying, crumpled on his bedroom floor. His shirt was torn and his hands were bloody, leading her to think he'd somehow managed to transform – at least partially – into his Veela form.

"Draco?" she murmured softly, running a comforting hand up and down his back, "Draco, mon coeur, are you alright?"

Draco slowly raised his head, eyes puffy and red from crying. "Mother," he said mournfully, "mother I hurt him."

Narcissa gasped. Him? Draco's mate was a male? She looked into her son's eyes, seeing only desperation and love. He was hurting – badly – and pointing out this new revelation would mean nothing to him until his heart had stopped breaking.

"Draco darling, he'll forgive you. He'll love you."

Shaking his head vehemently Draco began to whimper. "No... no he won't... we'll hate me."

Narcissa sighed, remembering how she had treated Rowan at first, arrogant Slytherin that she was, insulting him as he made his advances on her and showered her with presents and lover letters. Eventually, she'd agreed to go out with him – once – as long as he'd leave her alone afterwards.

It'd been the most wonderful day of her life and, after one date, she'd fallen head-over-heels in love.

"Draco, Draco listen to me. I can't promise it will be easy, and I can't promise there'll be no bumps in your relationship, but I can promise this. Draco, he WILL love you. You're a wonderful boy; beautiful, smart, rich, and talented. Who wouldn't fall for you?"

Draco looked up at his mother and smiled weakly, "I am beautiful, smart, rich, and talented aren't I?"

Narcissa chuckled, cradling her recovering son against her. "Yes Draco, you are. I'm sure he'll love you, whoever he is."

"I... Mum... I don't know," Draco said, thinking hard, "I feel like I know him... that I know him better then anyone else in the world. I... I can feel his _soul_. But... But if I try picture his face... his body... I can't. The only thing I really know about him is that he's got to most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen."

Narcissa smiled and rubbed her thumb along Draco's left cheek. "Honey," she said softly, "he only has one green eye now. He's also got one of the most beautiful liquid silver eyes I've ever seen."

Draco, remembering his new eye smiled at his mother again. "Yeah," he said, "he has my eye now too, doesn't he?"

"Draco..." Narcissa paused, did she really want to risk upsetting him now that he'd relaxed again? Looking her son in the eyes she decided that yes, she did. "Draco how do you know it's a boy?"

Draco flushed. "I... I don't know really, I can just _feel_ him and he feels... He feels masculine but kind. He's perfect."

The last sentiment was spoken with such conviction, such utter faith that Narcissa's eyes misted over.

Draco reminded her so much of his father.

XoX

hihi: Thanks for the correction! ;; Sorry about that!

Kyra2: Lol, but of course, what else would he do?

Morena Evensong: Thanks! I'm glad you like my Narcissa! Ah... but we'll see what happens with the eyes, won't we?

QuicksilverWitch: A bit of a romantic, then? Yes, that's the general theme of the story.

Slytherinkid07: As I said up there I absolutely adored your review! Thank you so much!

Angelous999: Lol, I love him when he's jealous and possessive too!

Angel Lain: Thanks for adding me to your alert list! I'm glad you like the fic so far!

ArtemisDracoROCK: Lol, I promise the next one will be longer!

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: Relating to the above response, the next chapter WILL be longer then this, in fact the only reason this one is so short is because it's late and I'm leaving for the weekend tomorrow and I couldn't get this off the computer to work on it. I'm going to be continuing this on Neville (my laptop) this weekend when I'm bored! Lol!

Reviews feed my muse!


	4. Chapter 3: In Dreams

Disclaimer: Hon, if Harry Potter were mine he would have _never _kissed Cho.

Warnings: Slash, melodrama

Author's Notes: This chapter was really hard to write! I had to keep stopping myself from giving up on making longer chapters many many times! Hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor!

XoX

Chapter 3: In Dreams

Harry sat down with Dumbledore, feeling slightly out of sorts still, and wishing desperately that someone would offer him some chocolate.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, eyes somber, "we think someone may have placed a dangerous spell on you."

Harry gulped. A spell? What kind of spell?

"Yes Harry," said Mrs. Weasley, "there's only one we know of that can cause this kind of change."

"I... What spell?"

"The _Envigilotransit_ curse. It's deep, dark magic." Dumbledore paused briefly and patted a now pale Harry on the shoulder. "But it can be removed quiet easily if one knows it's there. You see usually with this curse the castor casts it on someone who has the same color eyes as them so they don't arose any suspicion. The curse enables you to see what the other person is seeing – invaluable for spying, but the receiver of the curse pays the price. The curse gradually spreads until – much like the Imperius – you are completely under the other's command. But unlike Imperius, your mind is taken over as well and 'you' as you once were are gone."

Harry, both eyes now huge with his mouth agape was panicking. The... curse hadn't _felt_ threatening to him, but if that's the reason he'd been on the ground withering in pain... "How soon can you take it off?"

Dumbledore chuckled, a bit of twinkle creeping back into his pale blue eyes.

Harry found the reaction quite inappropriate, as did Mr. and Mrs. Weasley by the expression they wore.

"I can take it off right now, Harry."

Harry nodded frantically, getting this new someone out of his head seemed like a _very_ good idea.

Dumbledore held up his wand and pointed it at Harry, murmuring a quiet spell under his breath. A tingling sensation built up behind Harry's new eye and he blinked once before it stopped.

Dumbledore frowned and tried again.

Blink.

Nothing. Harry looked up to meet the puzzled expressions of the three adults in the room. "What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing at his eye.

"It seems..." Dumbledore said slowly, stroking his beard, "we were incorrect in our assumption. This eye... well, it's legitimately yours."

"I... How is that possible?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know Harry."

Now, much as Harry disliked Dumbledore the man had _never_ been that straightforward with bad news before. _Bloody hell,_ thought Harry, _I'm going to die from something even Dumbledore can't figure out._

Mrs. Weasley looked as worried as he felt. "Headmaster," she said, "isn't there _anything_ we can do? Is there some way to tell?"

Dumbledore shrugged – an action Harry couldn't recall him partaking in before, "I'm not sure Molly, all I can tell you is that this eye is not dangerous to his health as of yet. We must monitor it closely though, just in case."

The Weasley's nodded gravely and placed protective hands on Harry's shoulders.

Pain.

"Stop!" Harry shrieked, falling to his knees again, "Off! Get OFF!" The Weasley's stepped back quickly, trying to give their surrogate son some room as he tried to gain control over his body and his emotions. "Nobody," he ground out through clenched teeth, "is allowed to touch me."

The Weasley's looked startled and Dumbledore looked intrigued. "When did you start to feel this way, Harry?" he asked carefully, trying not to agitate the boy more the he already was.

"I..." Harry blinked, when had he started feeling like no one should be touching him? "I think it was right after I passed out on my birthday."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, thinking hard.

"What is it Headmaster?" asked Harry, rubbing his new eye again.

"There may be more to this then we originally thought. But for now that eye is no danger to you and we can leave it be."

Harry nodded and stood, "May I go now Headmaster?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Of course Harry," he said gesturing for the trio to make their way out of the kitchen, "I have some order business to take care of with Arthur and Molly anyway."

Harry forced a smile and left the room, Ron and Hermione trailing after him. The order and his lack of membership in it was a sore spot for Harry. It seemed to him that Dumbledore had a bizarre penchant for lording it over him as well ever since the office incident at the end of fifth year.

It probably wasn't the best idea to fight with the man who kept Voldemort at bay while Harry worked at improving his skills, but Harry was only a teenager.

Hermione and Ron each made to lay a hand on his shoulder, stopping when they realized that doing so could have grave consequences.

"Harry are you really alright?" asked Hermione, "Do you want me to try and find out what' causing these reactions and your eye and tattoo to change?"

Harry nodded, remaining silent.

"Harry, m..." Ron stopped himself before he could say the 'm' word, "maybe you should go lie down for a bit. You've had a pretty rough time."

Harry nodded, disappartaing to Ron's room, leaving shocked friends staring at the place where he had once stood.

XoX

Draco lay in his bed staring at the silk, green canopy of his bed. He couldn't sleep.

Sounds of the night filled his ears and with his newly discovered abilities he could hear an owl snatch a field mouse from the small courtyard outside his bedroom. Listening even harder he could here faint whispering from the Death Eater meeting that he knew was taking place tonight in the basement.

Tonight was the night his father had come to him and told him that, come Christmas, he would be a Death Eater.

"_Merry Christmas, son."_

XoX

Many people will tell you that Narcissa Malfoy is a cold-hearted bitch, that she loves neither her husband nor her son, and that she's a social climbing airhead. They'd be wrong on three accounts. Narcissa was caring – if you were worth it – and her son definitely was, she'd gotten straight O's on her NEWTS, but she hated her husband with a passion.

All of which led to her sitting here, in Dumbledore's office, waiting for the Headmaster of Hogwarts to arrive.

The previous night she'd been woken by her son. He pleaded with her desperately to save him from Lucius.

Draco would not become Lucius. Draco, _her_ Draco, would not become a Death Eater and if that meant that certain things needed to be sacrificed, so be it.

Dumbledore walked in and smiled at her, eyes twinkling.

"Narcissa," he said gently, "what brings you here today?"

"My son."

"And how is young Mr. Malfoy? Doing well I hope."

"Draco is fine, thank you. Or at least, fine for now. Lucius wants him to become a Death Eater. His initiation is scheduled for Christmas."

Dumbledore nodded gravely and, when he didn't say anything, Narcissa nearly gave into the urge to strangle the old bat that she'd had since fifth year.

"I need your help," she said after a moment of silence from him.

"With what, Narcissa?"

Patience finally running out Narcissa leapt to her feet and slammed her fists onto his desk. "You old fool!" she shouted angrily, "What do you think I'm asking for?! Save my son!"

Dumbledore lifted one of her fists of the desk and patted it reassuringly. "I think," he said, "you had best tell me the whole story."

XoX

Harry sat alone in Ron's room. He'd locked the door and it'd been almost a full twenty-four hours since the apparation incident.

He didn't know why he was suddenly so sensitive towards his friends, didn't know why it felt wrong when his friends touched him. Dumbledore's initial explanation of a Dark Curse seemed so easy, somehow he didn't think whatever was _really_ happening would be as simple.

Sighing he flopped back onto his bed and stared at the slightly cracked ceiling.

His last year and Hogwarts was fast approaching. What would it be like? With Voldemort and the final battle on the horizon it was hard to imagine a happy ending for himself, and at this point he'd happy if he lived through his full seventh year.

_What can I say,_ he thought, mouth twitching slightly, _I dream big._

But still, with a Dark wizard after him – not to mention said wizard's minions – shouldn't he feel suspicious? Shouldn't he be trying to claw his new grey eye out? Shouldn't he have his newly transformed Thestral tattoo magically removed? Shouldn't he feel even the slightest bit of fear?

But he didn't.

The eye and tattoo were strangely comforting. His tattoo felt... warm almost. Like someone was pressing a hand to his back, touching him not to warn him of danger or to hold him back from something, but to touch him. Just to feel him, to soothe, to make sure that he was there.

And it was nice. No, it was more then nice, the feeling was... was love. The feeling was what he wanted to feel so badly, but couldn't.

After all, who could love an ideal? A figurehead. Someone who belonged to everyone.

And those feelings, that comfort, that was why he hadn't told Dumbledore of the tattoo.

And, closing his mismatched eyes, Harry drifted to sleep.

XoX

Draco lay in his large bed and thought about the new revelation he had made.

His tattoo had changed. He no longer had a Thestral etched into the skin covering his right shoulder; it was now a proud Stag.

He'd made the discovery earlier that day when he'd gone to take a bath and had caught his reflection out of the corner of his eye.

Instead of being shocked or angry because of the violation of his privacy – and it was, the Thestral had been both punishment and reward from himself – he'd felt a sense of warmth through the tattoo that made him smile.

His mother had left earlier that day and had yet to return so he'd filed the information away in his head and promised to tell her first thing in the morning.

Feeling another gust of warmth through the tattoo his eyes drifted close and he fell asleep.

XoX

Harry was walking through a dark hallway. The walls and floors were made of white marble and the ceiling opened to the night sky.

"Hello?" he called, shivering from the cold, "Hello, is anyone there?"

All he could here was his echo.

A gust of pine-scented wind blew through the long corridor and Harry turned to find where it had come from.

"Hello?" he called again, nervous.

"Hi," said someone behind him.

He turned and met a pair of eyes that matched his own.

One grey, one green.

With a start Harry Potter woke up in Ron's bedroom in the Burrow as Draco Malfoy did the same far away in Malfoy Manor.

XoX

A/N's: Not as long as I would have liked, but that's what you're stuck with! I haven't updated in a loooooooooong time, but I hope this placates you! It doesn't seem as long to me as it does to you I think... Ah well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review!!!

Oh, btw... THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU FOR THE AWESOME RESPONSE!!!


	5. Chapter 4: Not Quite a Stranger, Not Yet...

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue!

Warnings: Slash, melodrama, angst, song lyrics (Into the West, Annie Lennox)

XoX

Chapter 4: Not Quite a Stranger, Not Yet a Friend

"_Lay Down  
Your sweet and weary head  
Night is falling  
You have come to journey's end_

Sleep now  
Dream-of the ones who came before  
They are calling  
From across a distant shore

Why do you weep?  
What are these tears upon your face?  
Soon you will see  
All of your fears will pass away.

Safe in my arms  
You're only sleeping

What can you see?  
On the horizon.  
Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea  
A pale moon rises.  
The ships have come  
To carry you home.

And all will turn to silver glass.  
A light on the water  
All souls pass.

Hope fades  
Into the world of night.  
Through shadows falling,  
Out of memory and time.

Don't say  
We have come now to the end.  
White shores are calling  
You and I will meet again.

And you'll be here in my arms  
Just sleeping.

What can you see?  
On the horizon.  
Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea  
A pale moon rises.  
The ships have come  
To carry you home.

And all will turn to silver glass.  
A light on the water  
Grey ships pass  
Into the west."

Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall stood watching as Narcissa sang to her still sleeping son. All four of them were in 12 Grimmauld Place, the home Narcissa had grown up in.

"Albus," Minerva said, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye, "why?"

He smiled sadly, watching as Narcissa serenaded her son, "Isn't it obvious? We may have thought that it was over, that Narcissa and Draco were lost to us... But they're not." He patted Minerva on her shoulder, "Next time you talk to Narcissa look into her eyes."

XoX

Draco awoke to the sun shining in his eyes. Crying out he threw an arm over them to protect them and heard a giggle come from beside his bed.

"Draco, darling, you have no idea how foolish you look."

"Mother?"

"Yes?"

"Where am I? My bedroom doesn't have any windows."

"You're in my childhood home, Draco. I had to get you away from Lucius and his foul schemes. I told Dumbledore."

"But what will we do? We have no money now that you've left fa -- Lucius."

Narcissa smiled at her son's petty fears – one would think that he'd be worried about Voldemort finding them and killing them or his friends abandoning him, but the first thing that came to mind was money. "I have my private vault to keep us alive, darling. My dear cousin Sirius also left me one of his more obscure estates in his will. I promise I'll show you it one day, it's in America."

"America?"

"Yes, by the capital of the wizarding community there, Salem."

Draco smiled weakly, thinking of the stories he'd heard from his peers of American witches and wizards who'd sold their knowledge to muggles in books and opened clinics for hopeful muggles to try their luck at learning the Arcane arts.

Narcissa patted her son's hand and motioned for him to get out of bed. "You need to get up and talk to Dumbledore. I haven't told him of your heritage, so let's keep that a secret. Draco..." she paused for a moment, uncertain what her son's reaction would be to what she had to say, "we need to charm your eye grey."

"What? Why?!"

"Darling, your eye is a dead give away. I won't harm it in any way, I promise. As soon as you're back from talking to him you can take of the charm."

"I..." Draco touched his cheek softly and remembered the dream and the tattoo on his shoulder. "Alright, but I have something to talk to you about afterwards."

Narcissa nodded and waved her wand, charming Draco's green eye grey.

XoX

Draco Malfoy sat before Albus Dumbledore without the fear of getting in trouble for the first time in his relatively short life. Dumbledore's bright blue eyes bore into him and Draco tried not to look down at his feet like a scared first year.

"So Draco," Dumbledore said amiably, "how are you doing?"

Draco shrugged.

"I see. And you mother?"

He shrugged again.

Dumbledore smiled and sighed. "Draco," he said eventually, "you needn't be afraid. We promise to protect you and your mother. I believe she's forming plans to relocate to America, yes?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, her cousin or something left her a property in Salem when he died."

"Ah, Sirius?"

"Yeah."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for awhile more.

"Draco, I need you to tell me why you renounced the Dark mark." Dumbledore deadpanned.

Draco thought furiously for a moment, he obviously couldn't tell Dumbledore the truth – that he wouldn't and couldn't pledge his loyalty to anyone but his mate – so he had to lie. "I... I..." damn he was bad at this, he usually just said the first thing that came to his mind – brain to mouth with no filter.

"Just be honest Draco, it can't hurt."

Draco almost laughed, remembering his mother's words and silent warnings. _Ah well,_ he thought almost bitterly, _they say the best lies hold a grain of truth._

"I won't bow down to anyone."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, eyes twinkling. He knew that Draco wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he could hear the truth in his answer.

"I see," he said, smiling at the boy, "well I'm glad you and your mother pulled yourselves out of the sticky situation you were in."

Draco looked somewhat sad as he nodded in agreement. "Me too."

XoX

Harry awoke bathed in cold sweat and panting. The disturbing dream he'd had earlier that night had been followed by an extremely erotic dream of a boy whose face he couldn't see.

That in itself wasn't disturbing to him, he knew that healthy teenage boys (who also happened to be somewhat gay) had dreams like that all the time – hell, it wasn't the first he'd ever had – but... It was different somehow. The boy whose face he couldn't see had stroked his skin with a reverence that muggles usually reserved for their deities and had whispered sweet nothings in his ear. Well, if you can call 'Oh Gods! I love you so much Harry!' a 'sweet nothing'.

Usually, his dream lovers had very obvious identities (there was one point when he'd had very vivid dreams of Oliver Wood in numerous positions over and under him) and only groaned or moaned. Never had his dreams turned to romance.

And it had felt so good to hear those things, even in a dream. Even awake now he could feel those phantom caresses on his oversensitive skin, the warmth of the boy's breath against his ear and the soft feel of their skins touching.

Not to mention the amazing sex he'd been participating in, although he'd woken up right before orgasm as usual – damn his luck.

Running a hand through already wild black hair he smiled to himself and tried to put a face on the other boy's body. He _knew_ the other boy had to be real, Harry _had_ to have met him before – he was too familiar to be a stranger.

And, sitting soaked in sweat with a throbbing erection he'd have to attend to soon, Harry made a pact with himself. He was going to find the other boy if it was the last thing he did, and when he found him he'd have found his soulmate.

Forever was a long time, but forever with his dream lover seemed like no time at all.

Harry chuckled to himself as he got up to go the bathroom of the Burrow; it'd been one _hell_ of a good dream.

XoX

Later that same day Harry made up with Hermione and Ron. After he apologized for being so rude they'd made to hug him before remembering his 'condition' and stopping sheepishly.

"Hey Herm," Harry said casually as the three sat in the backyard of the Burrow, Ron and Hermione draped around each other while Harry sat slightly off to the side and guards eyeing them warily out of hearing distance, "what do you know about messages in dreams?"

She eyed him shrewdly. "When did these dreams start and what do they entail?"

Harry, rapidly deciding that the first dreams was probably the best to share first, explained. "...And then I turned around and there was a guy standing in the shadows with eyes the same as mine."

"Do you mean the same green or one gray and one green?"

"Gray and green"

Hermione pursed her lips. "I think we should tell Dumbledore. He seems like he needs all the information we can possibly give him at this point."

Harry stifled a laugh at Hermione's slightly disdainful tone and nodded. "I'm going to, but what can dreams like this mean? Or do you not know?"

As he knew it would, Harry's insinuation that Hermione might _not know_ something spurred her into action. "I'll have you know that I read three books on dream interpretation before the whole Trelawny fiasco!"

"Really?"

"But of course. A dream like this could be and mean many things. We have to take into account that your new eyes and the possibility that one of them could belong to someone else as a possible reason for this dream and it could be that you're connected somehow in sleep with this other person." Harry's heart skipped a beat, thinking of his second dream.

"The long corridor could symbolize a long road ahead, a lack of hope, a feeling of being trapped with no escape routes. The starkness could mean many things; it could mean that you're a blank canvas that has yet to be painted on – metaphorically speaking of course, that you feel empty, the you're in need of something. The pine-scent... well that's a little harder isn't it? It could mean that you have a memory that involves something bad and the scent of pine or vice versa. It could mean that that which you seek can be found in the boy who you met after you smelt it as you were searching for freedom at the time and the scent symbolized that for you in the dream. The ceiling being opened to the night sky could mean that the restrictions you're under aren't as binding as they seem, or that you need to look up and that there's hope.

"The boy is what really fascinates me; instead of acting like a typical person in a dream he reacts like a normal – if somewhat apathetic – person would. I think he may represent an ideal. He may have your eyes because you were looking want who you want to be."

Harry and Ron gapped at Hermione as she finished her speech.

"Bloody hell, I've taken Divination since Third-year and _I_ don't know all that!" Ron exclaimed after a moment or so of silence.

Harry and Hermione burst out laughing and were shortly followed by Ron.

As the three friends calmed down and sprawled out on the soft grass that covered Ron's backyard Harry gazed up at the clouds and though about what Hermione had told him.

He knew that she had to be right about some of the things, she was Hermione. But he _knew_ she wasn't right about the boy being him. The boy was someone else, not quite a stranger but not quite a friend.

XoX

Draco got out of his fairly uneventful meeting with Dumbledore a little after noon and ended up having lunch with his mother in the room he'd woken up in.

"Mom," he said, "can we talk now? Is it safe?"

Narcissa smiled gently and nodded, chewing happily on a mouthful of roast beef sandwich.

Draco took a deep breath and started to explain the dream to his mother. "I was standing in a forest, it was filled with pine trees and I could barely make out the night sky through their branches. I started walking because... I don't know... I felt like I needed to. I reached a door and when I opened it there was a long, white corridor stretching as far as I could see. I walked in and the door swung shut behind me, sending a blast of wind hurdling down the corridor. I heard some footsteps and then someone called out. The voice... It was beautiful – velvet smooth and somehow familiar. I walked up to the boy who called out and said 'hi'. He turned around and his eyes matched mine, one gray and one green. I... Then I woke up before I could make out his features."

Narcissa smiled at her son and silently took the charm off of his eye, inwardly cursing her forgetfulness. "I think you shared that dream with your mate Draco."

"Really?" he asked, mismatched eyes bright with hope, "You think so? He was wonderful... Perfect."

"Oh you definitely dreamed with your mate, there's no way it could be anything else." Narcissa said, surveying the blissful expression on his face.

He smiled lopsidedly. "Am I that obvious?"

"_Oui._"

"_Pas mal_, I can't seem to bring myself to care."

Narcissa laughed and ruffled her son's perfect hair, causing him to scowl good-naturedly.

XoX

Alibis Dumbledore was no fool.

No matter how the Lemon Drops, socks, and twinkly eyes made him look Albus Dumbledore was a very wise – and some might even say _shrewd_ – man.

He was also a bit of a romantic.

When Narcissa had come to his and begged him to save her son he'd done so because he remembered the young girl she had been. Full of life and deeply in love with a 'half-blood' Narcissa Black had been one of the nicest women he knew. When she was forced to marry Lucius Malfoy he'd been shocked and outraged – any fool could see that Narcissa Black and Rowan Chamberlain were meant to be together.

When he'd talked to Narcissa's son he'd been thrown off momentarily by the enchantment covering one of his eyes before he realized it was very similar to the one that Narcissa wore, only Narcissa wore it over her whole body.

He'd seen through Narcissa's right away and had been pleased with the laugh lines he found around her eyes, and the happiness housed within them. When he looked through Draco's he'd nearly choked on his Lemon Drop.

Draco Malfoy had one green eye and one gray eye.

Harry Potter had one gray eye and one green eye.

It _had_ to be connected somehow; there was no way it couldn't be.

Research had been called for and what he found made him smile. Rowan Chamberlain had been a full-blooded Veela, and judging what he'd seen this afternoon Draco Malfoy was a half-blooded one.

So, that meant Harry Potter was Draco's soul mate.

For some reason the romantic in Dumbledore found the whole thing endlessly enchanting.

Smiling down at the family register he held in his hand, and feeling more then a bit giddy, Dumbledore quoted:

"Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!

Look to this Day!

For it is Life, the very Life of Life.

It its brief course lie all the

Verities and Realities of your Existence;

The Bliss of Growth,

The Glory of Action,

The Splendor of Beauty;

For Yesterday is but a Dream,

And Tomorrow is only a Vision;

But Today well live makes every

Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, and every

Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.

Look well therefore to this Day!

Such is the Salutation to the Dawn."

XoX

Harry was sitting in the Weasley's kitchen once again when Dumbledore flooed into their fireplace.

Dusting off his robes and beard Dumbledore smiled at Harry. "Ah," he said, "just the boy I was looking for. Although you're not a boy anymore, are you?"

Harry smiled at Dumbledore, who looked ridiculous with a large patch of soot on the tip on his nose. "I guess I am, sir. Why did you want to talk to me?"

"I need you to come to Grimmauld Place for a while, can you handle that?"

Harry gulped around the large lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat and managed to nod. "I... I can."

"Good. Don't worry Harry, you'll be in excellent hands there. Remus is staying there still and... Well, let's say that some of Sirius' better relatives have had to move in temporarily."

"Better relatives? I thought he didn't have any? Well, except for Tonks and her mum."

Dumbledore laughed. "Don't worry my boy, they're harmless. In fact, you might come to... like them given time."

Harry shrugged, slightly confused by the calculating gleam in Dumbledore's eyes.

Just then, Hermione and Ron came into the kitchen.

"Hello Headmaster," Hermione said promptly, "has Harry told you about his dream yet?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not yet, why don't you fill me in?"

Hermione and Harry took turns telling the tale, Harry interrupting every once and awhile when he thought Hermione was putting the wrong emphasis on a situation.

When they finished Dumbledore's eyes were so bright and so twinkly that they looked luminescent it his head. "I see," his voice was grave despite the emotion obvious in his eyes, "that tells me a lot."

Hermione made a disbelieving sound in the back of her throat, remembering the earlier incident with Dumbledore and his supposed 'dark curse'.

Dumbledore shot her an amused glance before turning back to Harry. "I'm right that you need to come to Grimmauld Place for a bit," he said, "please pack your things."

Harry nodded and bounded up the stairs, leaving a gapping Ron and miffed Hermione staring at Dumbledore in the kitchen.

"Does Harry _really_ need to leave?" Ron whined, "Ginny just got back from her friend's place and she hasn't gotten a chance to even speak to him yet."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid so, it's a matter of grave importance."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest just as the air was spilt by an Earth-shattering scream.

"Harry!" they all cried, running for the stairs.

XoX

Ginny had just gotten back from Luna's when she almost crashed into Harry as he run up the stairs.

Smiling at him she said, "Watch out Harry, you could have run me over!"

He smiled back at her and Ginny couldn't help but think about how handsome he'd become over the years. His hair was enticingly messy and his eyes sparkled like emeralds... well one of them did anyway, but she'd bee told about the whole eye thing ad it was still nice looking. His body was toned from Quidditch and physical labor, while his skin shone with a golden tan. Yum.

"Hey Gin, when did you get back?"

"Oh, just now... Harry, could I talk to you for a moment?"

Harry shrugged and followed Ginny into her room.

Ginny smiled to herself and motioned for Harry to sit on her bed. She sat down beside him, almost touching him and began to talk. "You know Harry," she said, "I've liked you for an awfully long time. Even when I was dating other boys I still liked you. So... Umm..." Deciding that words weren't good enough she leant forwards and pressed her lips to Harry's forcefully. It was wonder, pure bliss – even if he wasn't kissing her back.

Harry however had a different view on the kiss. It was _horrid_ and absolutely _wrong. Wrong, wrong, Wrong, **Wrong**._

And then a funny feeling filled his chest and it began to hurt. It hurt more then when Ron and his parents had touched him, more then when Ron had called him 'mate' – his heart felt like it was literally breaking.

He screamed as loud as he could, falling away from Ginny and onto the carpet. He only screamed louder as Ginny put an arm around him to try and help him off his knees.

_Oh God,_ Harry thought, _oh please... Let it stop..._

He blacked out, the pain finally becoming too much for him.

XoX

Draco had been happily eating with his mother when he felt something from his mate. Putting down his sandwich and concentrating Draco heard words drifting through the air, as if blown by the wind.

"... _liked you for an awfully long time... even when... other boys... still liked you..."_

His heart clenched as he realized someone was confessing to _his_ mate. And anger began to bubble in his chest.

Then the slut kissed him. _Kissed his mate._

And his mate didn't push her away right away.

His mate sat there and let himself be kissed.

_Oh God..._ Heart clenching, Draco dropped onto his knees on the floor. Tears poured out of his eyes and he began to sob. His mate was kissing someone else; his mate didn't want him.

_Oh God_.

His chest hurt so much and it felt like someone had thrust a knife into his heart and twisted.

XoX

As soon as Dumbledore saw Ginny with her arm around an unconscious and weeping Harry Potter he pushed her off him.

"He can't be touched now," he explained hurriedly, "it just it worse."

Ginny, who was extremely pale, nodded and backed off as Dumbledore levitated Harry to her bed and lay him down there.

Carefully making sure the boy would be alright he sighed. His theory had just been verified and there was no doubt in his mind that Harry Potter was Draco Malfoy's intended, but if Harry was this bad then he didn't want to think about the shape Draco would be in because of whatever Ginny had done.

XoX

A/N's: Oh yeah baby, 12 pages! (barely) It may not seem like much to you, but it is to me! Ok, so it took me awhile to get this chapter written (like, a looooooooong time) but I think it was worth it! Tee hee... Harry's having naughty dreams!

The poem that Dumbledore quotes is 'The Salutation to the Dawn' from the Sanskrit and as I said at the beginning the song is 'Into the West' by Annie Lennox (actually I think it's written by someone else, but she performs it) I wrote it out by memory, so if there's any mistakes my apologies – I sing it in my choir though so I think it's right. I hope you got the significance of both of them being in this chapter.

Sorry about Narcissa singing again! 

Oh, and reviews feed my muse!


	6. Chapter 5: Together we Stand

Disclaimer: I certainly hope you've gotten the message by now, this is NOT MINE.

Warnings: Again, if you haven't gotten this by now you need counseling. SLASH! (Melodrama and song lyrics also frequently apparent)

XoX

Chapter 5: Together We Stand

Narcissa watched her son hit the floor screaming and, for a moment, was too shocked to do anything about it. She stared as her son clutched wildly at his chest, tears pouring from his eyes in torrents, all the while yelling wordlessly at the top of his lungs.

It wasn't long before Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall burst into the room.

"Narcissa!" Minerva yelled, clutching hands over her ears, "What's going on?"

Narcissa couldn't answer; she was too busy frantically rocking her son back and forth on her lap, singing for all she was worth.

"… _we cannot cling  
__to the old dreams anymore,  
__does the body rule the mind?  
__Or does the mind rule the body?"_

It had long since ceased to matter what she sang to her son, when he'd reached the age of four she'd started to sing whatever she happened to be thinking of at the time and it had still worked. Even singing to her whimpering son from her dance card (Lucius Malfoy, Patrick Parkinson…) had soothed him.

She was vaguely aware of Lupin shaking her and Minerva trying to pry her son from her arms.

"… _ask me why and I'll die,  
__and if you must go to work tomorrow  
__well, if I were you I wouldn't bother.  
__For there are brighter sides to life,  
__and I should know because I've seen them,  
__but not very often…"_

Narcissa looked down beseechingly at her son's quivering, wailing form as she finished her song. She was sad, so sad, that his mate was putting him through this and that her singing hadn't worked for the first time in Draco's short life. And also strangely happy somehow, because she knew that Draco's despair showed how deeply he was in love with this boy, whomever and where ever he was.

The two other adults shaking her shoulders, trying to get her attention didn't matter. Narcissa started to sing again, with renewed energy and confidence, this time believing that it would work.

"Every day you must say  
_oh how do I feel about my life  
__anything is hard to find…"_

XoX

Dumbledore watched Harry withering in pain for ten minutes before bringing Ron and Hermione into the room – after making them swear not to touch him, of course – and running back to Grimmauld Place as fast as he could.

He burst into the room Draco and Narcissa had been eating lunch in to find all four of the house's current residents in the small space.

Dumbledore had expected to find Draco angry, enraged, destroying paintings – no great loss in this house – and furniture left and right. Instead he found him crying and cradled in his mother's arms, screaming.

Narcissa's songs floated gently through the screaming and Dumbledore recalled the half-forgotten Hogwarts Choir Narcissa had been a proud member of. When Voldemort had reached the height of his power all of Hogwarts' extracurricular activities – save Quidditch, of course – had been cancelled. Listening to Narcissa sing he began to think that the time to revive the old club and activities might have come.

Minerva spotted him and ran to his side.

"Albus!" she exclaimed, "Thank Merlin you're here! Mr. Malfoy needs your help!"

Dumbledore smiled sadly, knowing anything he did could only comfort Draco for a moment.

He had to get Harry into the house as soon as possible.

XoX

Ron, Ginny and Hermione watched their good friend and almost brother's pain in horror.

"What did you do, Ginny?" Ron asked, staring at the convulsing figure on the bed.

"I… I don't know." Ginny lied, blushing.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Ron dear," she said, patting her fiancé affectionately on the shoulder, "watch Harry while Ginny and I have a little chat in the hallway."

Ron, knowing better then to argue with the intelligent witch, just nodded.

Hermione left and Ginny trudged after her, not relishing the 'chat' she was about to be put through at all.

"Right. The truth if you please, Miss Weasely."

Ginny's blush deepened. "I… Harry came up the stairs and it just seemed like the perfect time to tell him, you know? I… I kissed him."

Hermione gaped at the younger girl. "We told you, _no one_ can touch him! He nearly fainted when your parents clapped him on the shoulder! Merlin! A kiss!"

Ginny stared down at the well worn floor in front of her room. "I… I know but…"

Hermione just shook her head wearily. "Ginny… Oh God! Ginny I hate to be the one to tell you this but Harry… Well, Harry's not going to think of you like that, you know? Even if… Well, he thinks of you like you were his little sister!"

"Maybe… Maybe if we just give it time he'll see…"

"See what Ginny? That you still have a crush on _The-Boy-Who-Lived_?"

"No!"

"But that's what it is, isn't it Ginny? You've had a crush on him since before your even knew who _Harry_ was. Don't deny it." Hermione said firmly, hands on her hips. "Harry doesn't need that; he needs someone who loves him for who he is. What he is doesn't matter."

"I can do that, Hermione! I really can!" Ginny cried, looking up at Hermione with desperate eyes. "I can love him!"

"No. You can't."

Ginny sobbed and fell to the floor crying into her hands.

Hermione watched the other girl coldly for a moment before crouching down and taking Ginny into her arms. "I know how you feel, honey." she whispered into the other girl's hair, "I couldn't love him like that either."

Ginny's tear-streaked face shot up.

Hermione gave her a sad smile. "I had a crush on The-Boy-Who-Lived too, but I love Ron – I always will. You'll find that person too, Ginny, that someone just for you."

Ginny smiled sadly and nodded.

XoX

Harry was back there again, in the corridor. A strange feeling of excitement filled him – the boy would be here too.

"Hello?" he called out excitedly, "Are you here?"

Footsteps not his own echoed through the corridor, running towards him.

"Hello?" he called again, turning to face the direction the footsteps were coming from.

The other boy barreled into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. Harry looked at the other boy's face and wasn't surprised to see it shrouded in darkness.

"Are you alright?" he asked, righting him.

The boy shook his head and sobbed, burying his head in Harry's chest. "I… I… I'll leave you alone, ok? You can be… I… It's okay."

"What?"

"You… You're girlfriend. I… I'll leave you alone with her."

"What girlfriend?"

"It… It's alright, I know – Hell, I FELT!"

Harry was confused. If there was one thing he knew he'd never have, it was a girlfriend – not that being the savior of the wizarding world left much time for one, even if he'd swung that way.

"What girlfriend?" he repeated gently.

"The on you fucking KISSED!" the boy screamed, pushing himself off Harry's chest, "I'll leave you two… a-alone!"

Harry's heart nearly broke when he heard the pain in the other boy's voice.

"It's alright, she's not my girlfriend – I didn't even willingly participate in that kiss."

The boy's only answer was a hopeful sniff.

"She… She came up to me and kissed me out of nowhere! It's not my fault. I'm… I'm sorry that I hurt you."

"I… R-really?"

"Of course, you're the only one for me," Harry said soothingly, rubbing the other boy on the back.

Arms enveloped him in a fierce hug and Harry leaned forward to meet the other boy's lips in a tentative kiss.

XoX

Harry's eyes snapped open and he smiled, sighing gently. He could still feel those rose petal lips pressed against his. The kiss had been so soft and full of wonder, so utterly _perfect_.

Just like the other boy.

Harry raised a hand to trace the outline of his lips gingerly.

Ron, only just noticing that Harry had awakened when he moved to touch his lips leaped forward and barely restrained himself from hugging Harry in his relief.

"Harry! Thank Merlin you're alright! What happened?"

Harry remember the other kiss, the wrong kiss – Ginny's kiss.

"I need to talk to Ginny right away." Harry said, grimacing slightly, "Can you please get her for me?"

Ron nodded happily and all but ran into the hallway, calling for his sister and fiancée all the way.

Ginny was the first to enter, eyes red and puffy, she looked sorrowfully at Harry before sighing and sitting next to her bed. Hermione followed behind her, eyes nearly as puffy. Both girls had obviously been crying, although over what Harry wasn't sure. He vaguely hoped it wasn't serious.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry!" Ginny cried before Harry could get a word out, "I didn't mean too! I promise it won't happen again!"

Harry glanced from Hermione to Ginny.

_Did you tell her?_ his eyes asked her, worry hidden in their green/gray depths.

Hermione's head shook almost imperceptibly. No, she hadn't told her about his preference.

Harry smiled slightly with relief and turned to his almost sister. "Ginny, it's okay. I don't blame you."

Even though she'd tried to convince herself to give up on Harry earlier in the hall Ginny felt her heart clench at the hidden barb in Harry's gentle words. He didn't blame her, but he hadn't liked it, didn't want it, didn't want her… that way.

Ginny just smiled up at Harry.

XoX

Narcissa cried out with relief as Draco stopped his thrashing and his eyes flickered open. He smiled at the four adults in the room, running a hand surreptitiously over his lips.

"Umm… Sorry," he said sheepishly, surprising McGonagall and Lupin who'd never seen him act that… human before. "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

Narcissa sobbed into her son's chest, clutching him close to her heart.

"Oh Merlin Draco," she gasped, "Oh Gods! Don't _ever_ scare me like that again young man!"

Draco smiled fondly at his mother and smoothed her hair back from her face.

"I'm fine mom, really."

Narcissa just cried harder.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily as he watched mother and son interact, a strange mirror of the previous half-hour with Draco comforting his mother. As Dumbledore ushered Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall out of the room he turned to Draco and whispered, "Try singing to her."

XoX

Kissing his mate, even in a vision, had been heaven for Draco. More then he'd ever hoped it would be. Even with his arms full of a weeping mother, humming a soft song to her, Draco felt elated. His mate wanted him, not some whore who walked around kissing people who were firmly claimed, _him – Draco Lucius Mercutio Adonis Malfoy_.

Life was good and his mate was better.

XoX

Author's Notes: Oh no! It's shorter! :'( Ah well, the next one will be lengthier and a lot of significant things took place in this chapter. I'm really happy with the response I've gotten for this from both and Fiction Alley! (Although Fiction Alley's behind by… three chapters or so at this point.) I never thought that this story would appeal to so many people! I'm overwhelmed by the wonderful response! Let's hear it for over 100 reviews!

A comment that keeps coming up is that this is – according to lots of reviewers, not my arrogance – one of the most romantic things anyone's read. I… wow… I'm really really really glad so many people think so! I've worked hard on this fic, it's the only 'serious' one I have right now and I hope that it becomes an epic of sorts!

Songs Narcissa sings in this chapter:

The first two stanzas of song are from "Still Ill" by The Smiths and the third is from "Accept Yourself", also by The Smiths.

I look forward to your response to this chapter, remember that reviews feed my muse!


	7. Chapter 6: Meet the Malfoys er Chamberla...

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warnings: SLASH! (Melodrama, song lyrics… wait, DUDE! There's no song lyrics in this one!)

Author's Note: Ok, I got this totally AMAZING review of Fiction Alley from Aquarium asking me to make a Yahoo Group (o.0) and so… I've made one! Hopefully this idea appeals to you and you'll join! I know I've "only" got 161 reviews, but I encourage you to show your support by joining! The group can be found here (take out the space or go to my profile):

h t t p : g r o u p s . y a h o o . c o m / g r o u p / d e n y t h y f a t h e r

I also have a new website called "Ferrets and the Men Who Love Them", you can check it out using the link in my profile.

XoX

Chapter 6: Meet the Malfoys... er... Chamberlains

Dumbledore closed the door behind him softly and turned to the puzzled professors with a large grin on his face. "I'm sorry," he said, not looking it at all, "I need to go get Harry from the Weasely's."

Whistling tunelessly Dumbledore walked down the hallway towards the stairs.

XoX

Harry sat in Ginny's room and waited for Dumbledore to return to The Burrow. Hermione, Ron and Ginny had all gone downstairs to wait for him, but had insisted that Harry stay in bed until Dumbledore said it was safe for him to be up again.

Harry touched his lips gently and smiled. The other boy – whoever he was – was perfect. The kiss left him fulfilled in a way that a soppy, wet kiss under the mistletoe never could. The sensations still lingered with him even now, at least fifteen minutes after waking.

"Harry!" Hermione called from the first floor, "Dumbledore's head just popped into the fireplace! He says he's going to get Tonks and then he'll be right over!"

"Okay, Hermione! Thanks!" he shouted back, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His muscles ached from the stress he'd put them under but he was still able to walk to the room he shared with Ron and begin to pack.

A knock on the half-opened door alerted him of Dumbledore's presence before the man entered.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, smiling a little too much for someone who'd recently seen the world's savior rolling on the floor in pain, "how long do you think it'll take you to get ready?"

Harry shrugged and continued to pack. "Not long, just give me a few minutes to separate some of my things from Ron's," he gestured to the pile of clothes strewn over the bedroom floor, "we're slobs."

Dumbledore chuckled good-naturedly and drew his wand from the sleeve of his purple and blue robes. "Let me." With a wave of his wand Harry's things began to fly into his bag, clothes folding themselves neatly.

"Thanks. Why can't Ron and Hermione come again?"

"There are… guests at Grimmauld Place right now." Dumbledore explained, "Guests that would probably prefer a modicum of privacy."

Harry shrugged, not bringing up the fact that Grimmauld Place and many of the Black estates now legally belonged to him.

"I realize that this trip will be hard for you, but you may make a new… friend while you visit, hmm? I'm sure he'll be pleased to see you."

And with that Dumbledore left the room, chuckling and leaving a very puzzled Harry Potter to follow in his wake.

XoX

Narcissa was having fun staying at her childhood home with Draco – sneaking past the covered portraits, searching the cupboards for Boggarts and Doxies, frolicking in the front room. It was the best time she'd had since her forced separation from Rowan.

At first, Draco had been hesitant to 'let himself go' as it were. And he'd spent a good hour sulking when she'd forced him to wear a charm to cover his green eye again, but once he'd loosened up and cheered up he'd actually been quiet fun.

Laughing as she ran from Draco she turned the corner and crashed into Remus Lupin.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, reeling backwards where Draco caught her, "Sorry, sorry – would you care to join us in a game of tag?"

Lupin looked shocked at her invite and cleared his throat after a moment of silence. "Actually Mrs. Malfoy," Narcissa grimaced at the name, "I was hoping you could come with me for a moment. Dumbledore's bringing… two new people with him and you really should be introduced."

Narcissa straightened her robes and nodded, wrapping an arm around her son's shoulders and striding past Lupin towards the kitchen. By the time he realized that she did indeed know where she was going he had to rush to catch up to them.

When they reached the kitchen Dumbledore was standing by the stove watching as a pink haired girl helped a black haired boy drag a Hogwart's trunk out of the fireplace.

When the three turned to greet them the first thing Narcissa saw were Harry Potter's mis-matched eyes.

_Oh dear,_ she though briefly, before stepping forward and smiling at all of them.

XoX

Harry had had barely enough to wave goodbye to his friends before Dumbedore'd had him at Grimmauld Place awaiting the arrival of the other occupants.

When Remus Lupin, Narcissa Malfoy and Draco Malfoy turned out to be said occupants he was at a loss for words.

Not that that mattered, Narcissa seemed to be quiet ready to take control of the situation. She smiled at him – them – and held out a hand that Harry couldn't take. "I don't believe we've met – well, that's not true, is it? We met at the World Cup three years ago, didn't we? Sorry for being so horribly rude. I'm Narcissa Malfoy, please call me Cissa."

Harry stared at her in shock – she was so unlike the cold woman he remembered that brain swapping didn't seem like a far-fetched theory, especially when you considered the whole witch/wizard thing.

"Umm…"

She looked down at her outstretched hand pointedly.

"Oh, umm I'm Harry Potter – I guess you knew that though. Sorry, I can't touch anyone right now without withering in pain."

For a moment Narcissa's eyes flickered backwards to her son before her face was enveloped in a smile again. "Very well, nice to meet you all the same. And you miss?" she asked, turning to Tonks, "I don't think I've ever seen you before – I'd remember hair like that I'm sure."

Tonks was looking shell-shocked as well. "I… I'm Nymphadora Tonks."

Narcissa gasped and threw her arms around the surprised girl.

"Darling! Oh how I wish I could have met you sooner! You _must_ call me Auntie Cissa! I insist!"

Tonks cautiously wrapped her arms around her aunt and shot a pleading look at Harry – suprisingly, it was Draco who came to her rescue.

"Mother," he said, laughter evident in his voice, "I do believe you're scaring them."

Narcissa straightened and laughed. "I suppose they'd rather have me act like stone again, hmm? Nevermind that I haven't been able to act _normally_ since…" she stopped for a moment, a look of infinite sadness settling on her face for an instant.

Her son was by her side almost immediately, whispering something into her ear and humming a gentle tune. Harry turned away from the scene in time to catch an approving look on Dumbledore's face.

Narcissa drew in a deep breath and pushed her son away. "I'm fine, Draco! You'd think I was made of glass the way you act!"

Even Harry could hear the falseness in her tone.

XoX

When Draco'd seen Harry his breath had caught in his throat and his heart had soared.

_His mate._

He'd barely managed in shake off the stupor that information caused in time to save his cousin from his mother. When his mother'd almost mentioned Rowan a look of grief so fierce it'd hurt _him_ had passed over her face and for an instant all thoughts of Harry were banished.

As soon as she straightened up again, not over it but better, they'd returned with force. Harry was so _beautiful_ now, and the perfect size to wrap his arms around. _His_ Harry.

It was strange, by all rights he should shudder at the thought at touching The-Boy-Who-Lived, but he couldn't be disgusted if he tried. All he wanted was Harry, Harry, Harry.

And he'd have to wait.

_Wait,_ he told himself, _you just have to wait._

The thought that Harry might not want him now was pushed into the farthest corner of his mind, but still present.

XoX

Narcissa pushed thoughts of Rowan out of her mind and marched out of the kitchen after making sure Draco, Harry and Tonks would follow her.

"Let's see, what can we do? I really wish Mrs. Black hadn't been such an old sourpuss. There's barely anything to do here! At least at the manor we had long, polished railings and slippery marble floors, eh Draco?" she said gaily.

Tonks and Harry had incredulous expressions on their faces and their eyes were flickering from her to Draco in disbelief.

"Oh don't be like that!" Narcissa cried, slinging an arm around Draco and her niece, "If you owned a manor what would _you_ do with it?"

Harry sniggered and Narcissa heard Draco sigh softly beside her at the sound.

"Right." She pulled to a sudden stop, "Let's take a look at the old family tree, shall we?"

She saw Tonks and Harry exchange _looks_ as she walked into the room where it hung and looked it over.

"Well," she said after a moment, looking at the burnt patches, "what happened here?"

"Mrs. Black got rid of all the 'traitors' in the family," Harry said quietly, "all the 'bad blood.'"

It took Narcissa a moment and the lack of Andromeda's name to understand what he was saying. "She's gotten rid of everyone who wasn't living in the dark ages, then?"

Harry nodded, surprise plain on his face.

Narcissa smiled wickedly and looked down at her a Draco's names. "Draco," she began, "don't you think…?"

Draco sighed miserably, obviously knowing his mother's intentions, "Whatever floats your boat, mum. You've always been a weird one."

Narcissa cackled evilly and drew her wand.

With a murmured curse and much glee the names Narcissa and Draco Malfoy burned off the Black family tree forever.

XoX

"I can't believe you actually did it!" Tonks shouted from beside Harry at the dinner table, "You took your own name off the family tree!"

Narcissa waved her hand and smiled, "Oh pish-posh, it was nothing really. Besides, it was the wrong name anyway."

"_Mother_," Malfoy hissed, head snapping around to face her in horror.

She patted her horrified son reassuringly – if absently – on the shoulder before continuing. "Lucius wasn't Draco's father anyway. And I never would have married the git if my parents hadn't forced me into it."

Tonks and Harry stared – once again – at Narcissa and Draco not-Malfoy in shock.

"What?"

"Oh, Draco's the son of my one true love. Rowan Chamberlain. I know! Let's change our names Draco, darling. I'm sure your father would have married me if… well if, ma petite libellule."

"_Mother!_"

Harry had to admit. He was beginning to like this Narcissa Malfoy – she seemed to be doing a better job of horrifying and terrorizing Mal – well that wouldn't work, would it? And Chamberlain sounded wrong even in his thoughts. – Draco then he ever had.

XoX

A/N's: Just thought I'd lighten the mood a little! Now I know that Harry's reaction to Draco being at Grimmauld Place is pretty much… non-existent, but that's because Harry trusts Dumbledore and I didn't write it in. Next chapter we'll have some real nice Harry/Draco interaction, I promise! (Mua ha ha!)

Sorry this chapter is so short! The next one will be out soon!

Reviews feed my muse!


	8. Chapter 7: Getting to Know You

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belong to JK Rowling etc etc amen.

Warnings: Slash, melodrama, questionable use of song lyrics

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:** Right well, first things first – damn! I can't believe I was that careless! I often forget that you aren't in my head and don't know what I assume! I'm going to go back and re-write the last chapter a bit to fix this up but I doubt you want to re-read the whole thing for one or two sentences! Here it is: Whenever Narcissa and Draco are in a public place Draco has his glamour on and his green eye hidden.

Now, with that said, this chapter is dedicated to **Short Fat Fag** and **critic unknown** for pointing my mistakes out to me!

XoX

Chapter 7: Getting to Know You

Draco felt his eyes wandering towards Harry on their own violation. He was all Draco could think about, all Draco could see, all Draco could smell –he was everything.

His mother kept shooting him knowing looks and distracting the two newcomers from concentrating on him and his unusual silence by filling any gaps in the conversation with jokes and laughter – if he hadn't respected his mother before he certainly did now.

"So Harry," Narcissa said, smile firmly affixed to her face, "tell me about yourself. What does the hero of the wizarding world do when he's not hiding from the media?"

Draco's head shot up at the mention of his mate's name.

Harry was blushing most becomingly and seemed at a lost for words. "Well, umm… I like Quidditch."

The part of Draco that wasn't totally obsessed with and devoted to The-Boy-Who-Lived – an admittedly very small portion of his being – laughed at the answer. A teenage boy, interested in Quidditch? Who ever would have guessed?

His mother wasn't fazed though, she just kept talking. "You don't say. You play seeker for Gryffindor, don't you? I've heard you're amazing on a broom – well actually I heard something more along the lines of 'That bloody Potter beat me _again_!' but it rounds out to about the same thing. Got a favorite team or player?"

Draco flushed at the mentions of the temper tantrums he'd thrown at Malfoy Manor and resisted the very tempting urge to kicking his mum. Not only would it be rude, it's probably prompt the evil women to start waxing on about some of his more colorful complaints.

"Umm…" said Harry, "not really, Ron likes the Cannons."

Draco snorted involuntarily and then paled as everyone in the room turned to look at him.

Narcissa was making frantic gestures for him to continue behind Tonks and Harry's backs, so he did.

"Do you share all of your best friend's interests, H... P-potter?" Damn, he'd almost called Harry by his first name outside of his head, "What about the Wigtown Wanderers or the Holyhead Harpies? Even the Moose Jaw Meteorites?"

Harry shrugged and Draco felt cheated somehow.

"I don't know," Harry said simply, "I guess maybe Puddlemere United – Oliver's their keeper now."

Draco felt himself bristle and had to forcibly stop himself from releasing a growl, "Oliver?"

"Yeah, Oliver Wood – he was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team for _forever_! How could you not know?"

Draco relaxed slightly – everyone knew that the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain had a thing for Percy Weasley. "Oh _him_," he said, "sorry, didn't recognize the name – I guess I was too busy with my sycophantic followers when he was at school."

This brought a very satisfying titter of laughter from all three other occupants in the room.

"Sycophantic?" Narcissa asked, giggling helplessly.

"Well, mother, if you'd ever visited me at school you'd know exactly what I was talking about." Somehow, it didn't sound as accusing as it could have.

XoX

Harry Potter was alone in a room with Draco Malfoy.

He couldn't help but wonder if something was up, Narcissa had pulled Tonks out of the room the first chance she'd had and now he was stuck in an uncomfortable silence.

It wasn't that he expected Malfo – Draco to kill him or anything. No, he trusted Dumbledore enough to know that he wouldn't let the 'savior' be done away with by his school rival. And it wasn't as though Draco had done anything specifically wrong yet really – just sat there and looked anywhere but at him.

This was stupid.

"This is stupid," Draco said, echoing his thoughts in a surprisingly timely fashion. "Look, Potter, I'm sorry."

"W-what?"

"I'm sorry, I've been a total bastard to you over the years and I want to apologize. I guess you've figured out by now that I'm here because I _don't_ want to be a Death Eater like my father, right? Well, if I'm not on the Dark Lord's side then I'm on your side so we should at least be able to talk without strangling each other." Draco's face was full of hope as he looked at Harry and Harry couldn't find it in him to refuse the other boy.

"Yeah, alright – truce then?" Harry asked uncertainly, absently fingering the frayed edge of his shirt.

Draco smiled and Harry felt part of himself sit up and take notice. Draco Malfoy really was as beautiful as he said he was, who knew?

"Great. Wonderful," Draco said happily, "want to do something or… something?"

XoX

Narcissa sat with her niece staring at the ruined Black family tree and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, "I've been such a fool these past years. I thought that… That somehow letting Draco have two parents would make things better, but it didn't. I've been a horrible person, to you, to Sirius… To everybody."

Tonks smiled sadly at her aunt and hugged her.

"It's alright… Auntie Cissa," Narcissa smiled wanly at her niece for trying, "I forgive you, as would Sirius. You did what you thought was best for Draco."

Narcissa laughed.

"Did I? Did I really? Or did I do what I thought would eventually give me back my Rowan? Do you know anything of Veela Bonds, niece or mine? Their power over both Veela and mate? How all-consuming your love for your Veela mate becomes?"

"W-what?"

"Rowan was a Veela, Nymphadora, Draco is half-Veela."

"How do you know?" she asked, "Has he shown the signs? He should have a mate and the Allure and… countless other things!"

Narcissa smiled at shook her head, "He has all of it – weaker versions perhaps, but all of it. And a mate. A mate who he has already fallen deeply for."

Tonks watched her aunt's breakdown with wide eyes. "Who?" she whispered.

"Life is cruel, don't you think? It shows you Heaven and then throws you into the pits of Hell. It dangles all you've ever wanted in front of you on a string, perhaps even letting you get a taste, and then yanks it back."

"Who is it, Narcissa?" Tonks asked again, louder this time.

"Harry Potter, of course." Narcissa answered with a bitter laugh.

XoX

Harry and Draco had made their way to the attic of Grimmauld Place and were talking.

"And, for some reason," Draco was saying, "I thought it would be an absolutely brilliant idea to dress up as a Dementor. I don't know why now, it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life."

Harry laughed, "Well casting my Patronus at you seemed… Pretty stupid afterwards, everyone else thought it was cool in the end though so I just played it off like I'd meant it to go like that."

Draco snorted and picked up one of the cucumber sandwiches that his mother had brought in shortly after they'd settled down to talk.

"So," Harry said, after recovering his own sandwich and chewing thoughtfully for a moment, "why are you and your mother here and not at Malfoy Manor? Was the whole 'not Death Eater' issue so pressing?"

Draco winced. _Because I want to spend the rest of my life worshiping you? Because you're everything I've ever wished for? Because I love you?_ "Because Lucius wanted me to be a Death Eater – soon. Sooner then mother and I had expected, really. We – or at least I, thought I had at least until my seventeenth birthday."

"And I take it you're more then a little adverse to the idea?"

"Adverse?" Draco smiled, "Yeah, you could say that – big word for a Gryffindor, Potter."

Harry smirked, "Right, because the top student is a Sly – oh wait, that'd be Hermione, who, if I remember correctly, is a Gryffindor."

Draco pouted and Harry nearly kicked himself when he found the expression endearing – a truce was one thing, admiring physical appearances was another – the smile had been neither here nor there.

"I'm second in class," he said sulkily.

Harry nodded and smiled, remembering Hermione's cries of outrage when Draco had beaten her on both the Potions and – suprisingly – Charms OWLS.

"Well," said Harry, making his tone as condescending as humanly possible, "that's better then nothing, isn't it?"

His jibe earned him a mock glare and a fit of giggles.

XoX

Harry was back in the hallway again. Remembering the last time he'd visited the dream world he quickly set off to find the other boy. Who knew how long they'd have together tonight?

"Hello!" he called cheerfully, "Are you there?"

Laughter drifted to his ears and he turned to see the shadowed face of the other boy.

"_Harry_," he breathed, reverence plain in his tone as his hand stroked down Harry's cheek, "Merlin, you're so beautiful."

"You know who I am?" Harry asked, startled.

"O-of course, don't you know who _I_ am?" The hand that had been stroking his cheek retreated, clutched to its owner's chest.

"No," Harry said plainly, "I can't even see your face, beyond your eyes. And, while we're on the subject, you have the most gorgeous gray eyes I've ever seen – they're one of a kind."

The other boy seemed hesitant now. "I… I can see you now though," he said, somewhat desperately, "I can see you plain as day – your eyes, your hair, your lips, your nose, your scar… everything."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, shrugging hopelessly, "your features are still shrouded to me."

The other boy nodded slowly, sadly. "I see…"

Harry woke with a start; surprised to find a single tear had made its way down his face.

XoX

Draco lay, slightly curled and on his side, bitter tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Harry had been so clear, so beautiful, in his dream. He had shone like a beacon in the hallway, his mismatched eyes had lit when they'd finally noticed Draco standing behind him.

But he hadn't really, he hadn't seen Draco's face and didn't know he was Draco's true love, his only love.

What greater heartache could there be?

Draco sighed and pulled the cotton sheets and down cover more firmly over his shoulders. Perhaps he and Harry had made progress in the real world as well, but he could already tell their relationship wasn't heading where he wanted it to. There was no romance in the future, a friendship at best and that only if he played his cards right.

_Maybe_, he thought,_ I'll just let him go. He'll be better off without me anyway._

The thought drove a stake through his heart, wrenching it in two as surely as the slut's kiss had earlier.

XoX

Author's Notes: I'm sorry about the wait for this chapter, it was really hard to write and I apologize for it's subsequent shortness. I could have gone on longer – pages longer – and the original chapter _was_ eleven pages long. I eventually cut some scenes out and moved some of the added on 'next morning' bits to the next chapter – expect them then.

Yay for over 200 reviews! And remember, muses do not survive on bread alone!


	9. Chapter 8: Extended Family

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belong to JK Rowling etc etc amen.

Warnings: Slash, melodrama, over-use of lyrics

XoX

Chapter 8: Extended Family

Dumbledore smiled at the couple that sat in front of him. "Are we agreed then?" he asked.

The female stood and brushed off her elegant, if understated, dress. "We are," her mouth turned down at the corners as she surveyed Dumbledore's office, "and do make sure one of your house elves clean this horrendous room, Albus –Merlin knows you have a whole castle full."

"Of course, my dear," he agreed happily, "I'll get Dobby on it right away."

The women snorted, obviously not believing him, and turned to leave his office in a swirl of skirt and robes that would have made Snape proud.

After a moment the male of the couple turned to Dumbledore andoffered a brief apology before leaving as well.

XoX

Draco woke the next day with puffy red eyes, a pounding headache and bright sunshine blinding him through the heavy curtains of Grimmauld Place.

"Draco!" Narcissa cried, walking into the room, "Why ever are you still asleep? It's a beautiful… oh." She ran to her son's side as soon as she saw the lost expression on his face, "What can I do, Draco? What do you want?"

"I want my _mate_!" he said petulantly, pouting and crossing his arms miserably.

"Of _course_ you do darling, every veela worth their wings does." Draco and Narcissa's heads snapped up to snarl at the uncaring woman who had entered the room.

"Who the hell are you?" Draco snapped, eyeing the stranger.

The women clucked her tongue, "Now Draco darling, is that any way to talk to your grandmother?"

XoX

Harry didn't know what was going on. When he'd entered the kitchen of Grimmauld Place there'd been an old, bald man shoveling food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow. Spotting Harry, he'd paused to ask, "You Draco?" and only waited long enough for Harry to shake his head 'no' before he started eating again.

Ten minutes later Harry realized he was staring and turned to his own food.

"So," the man said, wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand and turning to Harry, "if you ain't Draco who are ya'?"

"I – I'm Harry Potter," he stuttered.

"Well that certainly explains the eye thing, don't it? I didn't think Draco'd have black hair."

"Eye thing?" Harry questioned, "As in me suddenly having mismatched eyes? Do you know why I have them?"

"Ed_ward_!"

The shrill call echoed through the house and both Harry and the man winced.

"Ah," said the man, "I'm afraid duty calls, my boy."

And with that the man – Edward? – left the kitchen and bolted towards the source of the call as fast as he could.

XoX

Draco sat facing the woman who claimed to be his grandmother and suppressed a shudder.

She was a regal old bird, reminding him of an English McGonagall in her own way, with grey eyes and a fierce gray bun on the top of her head like some sort of weird hat. Her dress was plain and high collared but elegant, the superiority of the extremely wealthy radiated off of her almost visably.

"I," she said after surveying him for a moment, "am your father's mother. You will treat my mate andI with the utmost respect and we will teach you what you need to know about your heritage. Understood?"

Draco nodded quickly.

"In addition, your mate will be subtly groomed to meet my standards. I understand that for reasons beyond my comprehension you've not informed him of your impending bonding – I will respect your decision and teach what I can without arousing suspicion in him."

"Thank you… Grandmother," Draco said as respectively as he could given the unusual circumstances, "but how on Earth do you know any of this?"

The old women smirked and Draco belatedly noted that his smirk might have been genetic after all.

"Draco, my mate and I recently had a very… informative conversation with Albus Dumbledore. That should tell you all you need to know."

And, frighteningly enough, it did.

"Bethy?"

Draco's Grandmother winced and she turned to face the man who'd walked into the room. His bald head shone in the candlelight and Draco stared at it in morbid fascination. The man's eyes sparkled merrily from beneath heavy, gray brows and he held a half chewed sausage in his hand.

"Edward," Draco's Grandmother hissed out stiffly from between clenched teeth, "what on _Earth_ are you doing?"

"Well I was eatin' breakfast downstairs – what a _dump_ this place is, eh? Ran into Draco's mate though, he seemed a little out of it."

"I thought," Draco's Grandmother ground out from beneath clenched teeth, "that you were going to clean up your act and create a good impression for young Draco."

The man shrugged and flung himself into one of the two chairs in the room. "I figure he may as well learn ta know me now, this is how I am and I can't be nothing else, Bethy." He took a pointed bite from his sausage

Draco found himselfsimultaneously repelled and impressed by his paternal Grandfather, anyone who could stand up to his Grandmother had praise worthy bravery. He winced at the thought; perhaps Edward had been a Gryffindor.

"Edward, I would rather you call me Elizabeth as it is my given name, and will you at least put on some decent clothes? We're guests in Mr. Potter's house for the next little while."

Edward rolled his eyes, "Well he's Draco's mate, ain't he? That means it's Draco'd house too."

Draco was having trouble believing these two were actually mates – he didn't think he'd be able to _survive_ a fight with Harry now, let alone hold his own in it.

"Don't be stupid!" Elizabeth snapped, "The boy has no idea Draco's a Veela, let alone that he's his mate!"

Draco decided that sneaking away for breakfastwould be prudent.

XoX

"Hello," Harry said mildly as he spotted Draco walking into the warm kitchen, "sleep well?"

Draco froze, feeling immense sadness well up in his chest – was Harry _trying_ to kill him?

"Guess not," Harry added after a moment, taking in Draco's closed off expression. "Do you have any idea who the old guy is? Did you meet him on your way down?"

Draco smiled half-heartedly and nodded, "Dumbledore's brought in my father's parents, Elizabeth and Edward."

"Huh," said Harry, "Edward asked me if I was you."

"Really?" Draco grabbed some bacon from the buffet spread out on the counter of the kitchen and slumped into a chair across from Harry, "He's never seen _me_ before but I would have thought he'd recognize you."

Harry nodded his agreement; it was a pleasant but seldom experienced situation to have magical folk ask him his name. "He said something about my eyes, confused the Hell out of me – what would my weird eye thingy have to do with you?"

Draco gulped in a way he sincerely hoped wasn't audible and shrugged.

XoX

"Draco!" Elizabeth called from the doorway of the kitchen, "What on Earth are you doing? We have lessons to go over young man!"

Draco groaned and swallowed the lump of bacon lodged in his throat. "Do I _have_ to?" he whined, "I'm _hungry_."

Elizabeth frowned. "Draco," she said, "how do you expect to understand yourself and your heritage if you run away?"

Draco shrugged miserably and slumped in his seat. "Grandmother, meet Harry Potter." Draco waved a hand in Harry's general direction and desperately hoped that the prospect of meeting his mate would take his Grandmother's mind off of his lessons.

"Oh," she said spinning and smiling at the other boy, "how wonderful!"

Harry stared at the previously stern woman in wonder. It was almost like watching the McGonagall of fifth year – mean as hell one moment and sweet the next.

"Harry dear," Draco's Grandmother said, sitting down next to him, "why don't you join us in our little lessons, hmm? Albus suggested it when we talked to him earlier."

Harry shrugged, if Dumbledore wanted him to learn about Draco's ancestors who was he to argue?

"Excellent!" the old woman exclaimed, "You two hurry up and as soon as you're finished meet us in Draco's bedroom!" And, before anyone could stop her, she patted Harry on the shoulder.

Harry shuddered, wrapping arms around himself and barely staying upright as a sort of jealous flare rose in his chest.

"Harry? Harry?" somewhere off in the distance Harry could here someone – Draco's Grandmother – calling his name.

_It's alright,_ Harry thought, hoping he could pass the sentiment on to the other boy, _it doesn't matter if she touches me – I only want to touch _you.

The pain subsided and Harry gave a grateful sigh before slumping forward onto the table, unconscious.

XoX

Author's Notes: After much deliberating I finally decided to end this here. It's actually the other half of the seventh chapter. More could have (and probably should have) been added, but this seemed an appropo ending.


	10. Chapter 9: Family History

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warnings: Slash, Veela, melodrama (sob)

Author's Notes: I shall slice off my own head now a save you all the trouble. (In other words, sorry about the incredibly prolonged wait.) Thank you SO much for your wonderful response, I love all y'all so much! (Oh, and there's a LOT of information in this chapter!)

Geas is pronounced 'Gee-sh' and no, I didn't make it up.

XoX

Chapter 9: Family History

"Oh dear," Draco's grandmother said, staring down at Harry's unconscious form. "I see we'll have to teach you control on top of everything else."

Draco slumped in his seat. "Grandmother," he whined. "It's not my fault. If people would just keep their grubby hands _off_ my mate we'd be fine."

Elizabeth Chamberlain raised a manicured, gray eyebrow. "Really, Draco. I myself have a mate and I'm perfectly content to stay with the old bugger. Do you think you could let someone besides yourself touch Harry? In the most plutonic of fashions of course."

Draco grumbled a bit, then shrugged. "Mother could touch him if she wants, but not too much. Maybe shake his hand."

"Excellent. From now on Harry must shake the hand of everyone who greets him." The old woman smiled. "And now Draco, you are going to learn the most powerful and simple of Veela magics. The geas."

Draco blinked. "The what? I didn't think Veela had a whole brand of magic – isn't it all hormones and looks?"

Elizabeth clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "How ever do you think the elder Veela function, Draco? Not all of us have lithe bodies and blonde hair. Our looks and hormones are used primarily to attract a mate and fade with age, like with all species. Either we get bald and fat like your grandfather, or we grow old and regal. It all depends on our nature. Do not trust your wizard manufactured books to give you correct information on Veelas."

"Fine." Draco shrugged. "What are geas?"

"The plural is geas_a_ Draco, and they are… compulsions of a sort. A very powerful and, for Veela, easily learned art. With a geas you can ensure many things. The loyalties of your followers, the honesty of your children, even behavioral patterns, as you will see when Harry wakes up. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named uses a weak form of it when he applies the Dark Mark. But only Veela, Vampires, the Fae, and wizards who have been trained in the Druidic arts can fully master its power, and He is no Druid. A Druid would care for the Earth and the lives around him more than he does. It is why The Dark Lord's followers still have the ability to repent."

Draco nodded. "Alright, so how does one cast a geas?"

"It's easy, Draco. Although at first there are… words you should use. Think of them as the words to a spell and memorize them. The victims of your geas will not be able to remember the words unless you command them to, but if an observer should pick them up… well, it would mean part of the Veela magic would be exposed. Get rid of their memories of the moment or put a geas on them as well. It matters not."

"So what are the words?" Draco asked eagerly, "And how is it that you don't have to say them, but I do?"

"To the second, I am a full blooded Veela much older and wiser than you. To the first – and this is mearly an example – say something like this:

"_Harry Potter, I hereby lay a geas on you,  
__that you must always shake the hand of any being who greets you by name,  
__be they alive or dead,  
__disembodied, inanimate or between states.  
__From now onward refusal to do so will mean instant death."_

"But that's horrible!" Draco exclaimed. "_Death_ because you refuse to shake someone's hand? Stay _away_ from my mate you old witch!"

Sighing, Draco's grandmother rubbed her temples and dropped into the chair next to Harry's body. "Look, I'll be frank. Nobody has ever had the will to actually disobey a geas long enough for it to actually kill them. If it reaches that point – and I concede that it is possible, Gryffindors and all that rubbish – you can always reverse it."

"How?"

Elizabeth cleared her throat authoritatively.

"_Harry Potter, I hereby release you from you geas.  
__I solemnly swear that any and all compulsions to shake hands will be your own from now on.  
__To renege on my pledge will mean instant death."_

"So if you put a geas on him to shake peoples hands again you'll die?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh heavens no, the words used are formal for the most part. You've no need to fear. Why I'd cast multiple 'wash your hands' geasa on your father through out the course of a day when he was young. And… oh, there is so much to teach you about what you are Draco. You must understand, Veela are not human. We make look like humans, even talk and dress like them, but we are not.

"Veela," Draco's grandmother continued, "originate from Central Europe. Before Veela started to mate with other species we were one with nature. Falcons, hawks, snakes, swans, horses, wolves – Veela were once able to take all of these shapes. Now… Now most are limited to a sort of half-transformation. Half-bird is the most common today. We were more advanced then the humans around us back then. We pitied them, I think, for we started to heal their wounded and tell the fortunes of new born babes. It was then that inter-species mating began.

"It was not, as your wizard history books will tell you, a sudden outburst of Veela/Wizard love. Veela were ripped from their mates and forced to bear the young of multiple wizards. Our people were kept as beautiful whores and slaves, forced to heal and shape shift on demand. It was a dark times for our people, Draco.

"As time progressed Veela began to change. Bloodlines were severely diluted and, to this day, there is no true 'pureblood' Veela. Our family is about as close as it comes, but we see the odd sign of past cross-species mating every now and then. Your father, for example. Pureblooded Veela don't have wizarding magic."

Draco stared, open mouthed, at his grandmother. He'd just learned more about Veela in ten minutes with her then he had in a week of forced lessons with that oaf Hagrid in Care of Magical Creatures classes at school.

"You – you're a Veela?" a voice from beside his grandmother asked.

Draco paled and shot his grandmother a nasty look. If she hadn't showed up and started waxing on about Veela history Harry would still be in the dark.

XoX

Harry opened his eyes slowly and bit back the groan that threatened to escape him. Not bothering to raise his pounding head from where it rested on the table he began to gather his energy and listen to Mal – Draco's conversation with his grandmother.

"… mating ever now and then. Your father, for example. Pureblooded Veela don't have wizarding magic."

Harry's head shot up. "You – you're a Veela?" he gasped, wide eyed.

Draco paled and shot his grandmother a dirty look. "Yes," he ground out, "half-Veela. My mother was my father's mate and she managed to get pregnant with me before she was married off to Lucius."

"Wow," Harry said, trying to wrap his mind around it. _Draco Malfoy _not_ a pureblood? Who would have thought?_

Draco scowled at him. "Yes well, it's not something I want spread around, is it? Do you have any idea what they would do to me in Slytherin if they knew I wasn't pureblooded?"

Harry shivered artfully. "I can hazard a guess, and it's not pleasant."

"Exactly."

"Draco Chamberlain!"

Draco started and shifted in his seat so that he was facing his grandmother. "Chamberlain?"

"Of course, child. And don't you dare forget it! You are to declare your heritage _proudly_. You are a _Chamberlain_, the equivalent to Veela _royalty_. You'll have all manner of people throwing themselves at you. Muggles, Wizards, Veela – all different kinds of species. And you will hold your head high and persevere. You are a Chamberlain and you best not forget it."

Draco nodded fearfully and Harry snickered.

XoX

Harry and Draco sat in a dusty room near the back of Grimmauld Place and waited for Elizabeth to begin her lesson.

"Well," she said, "my old friend Albus asked me to come out here and help teach you boys some… useful survival skills. And, of course, help Draco with his Veela magic."

"Veela have a separate brand of magic?"

"Yes Harry dear, they do. And a powerful one too. I think our Draco will find that his relationships with animals are significantly improved for one."

Harry snorted and burst into laughter. "Draco? Good with animals?" he clutched his stomach as his body shook.

"Oh shut up, Potter," Draco grumbled miserably. "It's not that funny."

"Y- yes it is. Have you seen you in Care of Magical Creatures?"

"Ah," Elizabeth said, "if you were that bad you should now be that _good_."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, kicking the still laughing Harry's shoe gently.

"It happens to the most powerful Veela among us." Draco perked up at the word 'powerful'. "The worse you are at something that Veela are supposed to be quiet proficient in, the better you will be at in when you reach your inheritance."

"Hey," Harry said, smothering his giggles. "How come Draco wasn't suddenly better with animals after his birthday last year?"

"Wait," Draco said before his grandmother could answer. "You know when my birthday is?" For some reason, the thought of Harry remembering his birthday made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Umm, yeah? Doesn't everyone? You go around bragging about the gifts you get every year."

"Oh," said Draco, suddenly not feeling very warm and fuzzy at all.

"Veela reach their majority on their mate's coming of age, not their own," Elizabeth explained, shooting both boys dirty looks. "It makes for quiet a convoluted social hierarchy since Veela aren't allowed to formally inherit anything until _after_ they come of age. I know one man who, at twenty-two, was still waiting for his mate to mature. That was, of course, a rare occurrence as Veela usually subconsciously select a mate."

"What do you mean?" asked Draco, wondering how on Earth his subconscious had come up with the idea of Harry Potter.

"Well, your inner Veela looks around and selects whomever it thinks would be best suited for a life long relationship. Depending on where you spend most of your time, it could be anyone. Since you spend the majority of the year at boarding school you're most likely to have a mate from within Hogwarts, and obviously from within your year." Elizabeth's eyes darted towards Harry who, embarrassed by all the talk of Draco's future life partner, was staring resolutely at the ground.

"Oh," said Draco, following his grandmother's gaze. "I see." He didn't really, but that was beside the point. Harry was his mate and he'd have to deal with it. Not that it was that hard to deal with. He was handsome, brave, smart… Draco barely managed to stop from hitting himself. Hard on inducing thoughts weren't a good idea in from of his mate and grandmother. Not at all.

XoX

Remus sat in the kitchen of Sirius' old house and listened to Narcissa tell stories of her past exploits contentedly while drinking a mug of hot chocolate.

"… and so when Bella came into the room Andromeda, Sirius and I were all hidden behind the couch. She didn't know what hit her when the bucket fell on her head! She was screaming and screaming… Regulus had to spell it off." Narcissa smiled and refilled her own mug, picking up one of the cookies Molly'd send over with Harry and Tonks.

"We had such fun when we were all in this old house. Mother had wanted to move to the continent after father died, but we convinced her to stay here. Hogwarts is such a nice school and, of course, we all had our own little romances going. I did envy Andromeda though, she had the courage to stand up for herself and marry the man she loved."

"Come on, Aunt 'Cissa," Tonks whined. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Sure, mum went and married dad, but your romance with Rowan was _after_ that. Grandma wasn't about to lose another daughter to the 'light side', now was she?"

Narcissa smiled weakly and Remus' heart went out to her. "I suppose. But saying things like that… it just seems like I'm making excuses. I know what I should have done, what was right. I didn't do it; I didn't stand up for myself. Hell, when Draco was born I even let Lucius whisk him away from me. What's important now is Draco's happiness…. However hard it will be for him to find and hold on to."

Tonks slammed her mug down onto the table. "Don't underestimate your son or H – his mate! Knowing the both of them like I do, they _won't_ give up on love once they find it."

Narcissa laughed bitterly. "We all think we're strong until we're faced with a real problem, darling. In the end love _isn't_ enough."

"If you don't mind me interrupting," Remus said calmly, "what are you two talking about?"

Narcissa closed her eyes and slumped back in her chair, resigned to whatever fate put in front of her. Tonks blushed furiously and stared resolutely into her cocoa.

"Do you remember that Ravenclaw I used to date?" Narcissa asked. "Rowan Chamberlain?"

Remus nodded.

"He was a full blooded Veela and Draco's father."

"W—what?"

"Draco's half Veela. Harry Potter is his mate."

XoX

Author's Notes: Terribly sorry to all of you who thought that last chapter was the last one. What kind of ending would that have been? Sorry! I meant I had to end the _chapter_ there.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love you all _so_ much!


	11. Chapter 10: Lessons and Explanations

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warnings: Slash, Veela, melodrama

A/N's: Dear reviewers, IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!

XoX

Chapter 10: Lessons and Explanations

After spending an hour listening to Draco's grandmother talk about Veela Harry had to wonder what any of it had to do with him. What had Dumbledore been thinking?

_Perhaps,_ he thought, glancing at Draco out of the corner of his gray eye and smothering a yawn, _he wants Draco to have somebody his own age at school who understands him._ Satisfied with this explanation, Harry continued to pretend to pay attention to Elizabeth's ramblings.

"And so you see, Draco, a Veela's ability to bond is not strictly reserved for their mate."

Harry's ears perked up and his focus shifted. Hagrid had told them that a Veela only cared about their mates and were vicious creatures. Not that Malfoy wasn't vicious, because he was. And his grandmother seemed to be equally as fierce.

Judging by the incredulous expression on Draco's face the same thought had occurred to him. "But don't Veela reserve all their love for their mates?" Draco asked, puzzled.

"Of course not," Elizabeth snapped. "Don't believe all that trash they teach you at Hogwarts, all their information comes from wizards and witches who have observed Veela from afar and made assumptions. Hogwash – that's what it is!" She sighed, "Have you ever heard the saying, 'Lovers make the worst parents'? Well, imagine if two Veela – the creatures that fall deepest in love with their other halves – got together and had children. If they were truly unable to love anyone but each other than the children would be neglected."

"Wait," Harry said. "Wouldn't it be like they were loving a part of their mates anyway?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No. Children are not their parents."

Harry shrugged. "Alright, I was just wondering. How else can Veela bonds be used then?"

Elizabeth smiled slightly. "Veela can bond to their friends, parents, siblings and children. Veelas usually have up to four bonds, but there is no actual restriction. However, the only bond that goes both ways is a mate or 'double' bond. It's even possible for a Veela to have a triple bond with their mate. This would mean a combined bond of friendship and mate, but the friendship bond be in place _before_ the mate bond is consummated – after that it doesn't matter if you are friends, you will still only have the double bond. Triple bonded Veela and their mates are very strong and very rare.

"You must also understand that familial or friendly Veela bonds are the most dangerous. The other party feels no need to love the Veela back and could easily turn on them. While the breaking of a familial or friendship bond won't permanently hinder a Veela – especially if they're mated – that doesn't mean that a betrayal won't hurt like Hellfire," Elizabeth smiled sadly. "I myself have experienced one of these bonds breaking. It was painful."

Harry felt Draco shudder beside him and repressed an echoing shudder of his own.

XoX

Remus' mug was in pieces on the ground, tea seeping closer and closer to his beaten up old loafers.

"W-what?"

"Draco is a Veela and Harry's is his mate," Narcissa repeated. "Mr. Lupin, please calm down."

"Calm down!" Remus shouted, leaping from his chair. "Why should I? It's obvious that the only reason you're even pretending to be good is because Draco wants to have his way with Harry and produce more perfect Malfoy heirs! I won't have it! Get _out_!"

Narcissa stood to equalize their heights. "Did you not just hear me, Mr. Lupin? _Rowan was Draco's father. Draco is a half-breed!_"

Remus paused.

"That's right! Do you_ know_ what Voldemort and Lucius would do if they found out? They would _kill_ him! Imagine the gall! Half-human filth living as a Malfoy under the pretense of being Lucius' only son and heir? Why, the insinuation of such a thing alone would be enough to execute the accuser!

"Do you have any idea of what life would have been like for Draco if we'd stayed? We only found out who his mate was _after_ we reached this vile manor!"

"I think," Remus said in a deceptively calm tone. "I know _exactly_ what life would have been like for him. Don't forget, Mrs. Malfoy, I'm 'half-breed filth' too."

"Then don't condemn my son to the same fate, Lupin! Let the boy have his childhood while he still can!" Narcissa cried. "Life was hard on you, yes, but does that mean that it has to be hard on everyone?"

"Aunt 'Cissa, Remus," Tonks murmured quietly from where she sat beside the table. "I think you both have a bad case of parenting."

Remus caught Narcissa's eye and smiled slightly. "I think you might be right, Tonks," he sat down. "But if your son hurts Harry in any way, I'll rip his intestines out through his nose."

Narcissa sat down and sighed. "I don't think that will be necessary, Mr. Lupin – he'd probably do it himself."

XoX

Draco was barelyholding on to his instincts as he sat next to Harry, tuning out his grandmother's babble about The Long and Proud Chamberlain Line – she was almost as bad as Lucius when it came to family pride. His Inner Veela was actually doing alright – his mate was here, next to him, and was spending time with him without… much… prompting – it was the 'Malfoy' instincts he was having trouble with.

After all, sitting beside him, innocent as you please, was _Harry Potter_. And Harry was obviously just as bored as he was.

So Draco lent over and pushed Harry off of his chair.

"… and of course your great-great-great aunt Vermillion… Draco!"

"Err… Yes?" Draco turned to his grandmother and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"How on Earth… Never mind, it's just the kind of person you are, isn't it?" Elizabeth said with a sigh. "Pick him up."

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed from where he lay on the floor. "You touched me!"

"Yes, Potter, I touched you. I also pushed you. Have you caught up yet?" Draco asked with a snicker, bending over and hauling Harry to his feet.

"No, I mean – _you touched me!_ No one has been able to since my birthday!" Harry looked around the room excitedly, as if the source of this phenomenon was related to his surroundings and not the people he was with. Draco was thankful for Harry being remarkably slow on the uptake.

"How strange," Elizabeth said, with a pointed glare at Draco. "It must be a side effect of… your scar."

"What?" Harry exclaimed, turning to face her.

"Yes," she said. "It must be because of your scar and the Dark Lord."

"Oh." Harry said. "That makes sense, actually. Expect for the part where Draco can touch me."

"Well, the Dark Lord must have made it so that only his followers can touch you. Since it's only been a couple of days since Draco and his mother renounced their evil ways they can still touch you. He hasn't adjusted the spell yet."

Harry nodded. "Why didn't Dumbledore think of that?"

Draco wondered if, perhaps, Harry might be a tad _too_ slow.

XoX

Remus, Narcissa and Tonks were sitting around the kitchen table sipping newly replenished mugs of tea when Draco and Harry came in, laughing uproariously. Remus tensed and Narcissa smiled gently. Tonks drowned her own laughter in a sip of tea.

"How was the lesson, boys?" Narcissa asked cheerfully, motioning for them to sit down in the two chairs across from her.

"Fine, mum. More than a bit boring, though. Do I really need to know about everything every single one of my newly found ancestors ever did?"

"If your grandmother deems it important, I'm not going to interfere," Narcissa said primly. "Tea? None of us can cook anything else and Minerva left for Hogwarts after breakfast."

Draco groaned. He and his mother had never learnt to cook because of their status in the wizarding world, and who knew what Lupin deemed edible – he _was_ a werewolf after all, having seen his cousin in action, Draco could only imagine the damage she'd due if let near a stove, and Harry had lived with muggles who probably made him all of his food.

"_None_ of you can cook _anything_?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Not really," Lupin explained self-consciously. "Remember that we all grew up with House Elves, Harry."

"_I_ didn't!" Tonks protested. "But there's no microwave here."

Harry smiled at Tonks and Draco's opinion of his cousin dropped.

"Purebloods, eh Tonks?" Harry laughed, getting up and merrily striding to the fridge. "How do roast beef sandwiches sound to everybody?"

Draco smiled. He'd take the ability to cook over deductive skills any day.

XoX

Draco was standing on a beach. This was strange, because Draco had never been to a beach before, and he was fairly certain that they weren't supposed to look like this one did.

There was no sand beneath his feet, only hard packed dirt covered with gravel. And, as he looked around, he realized that he was standing on a wide path which sloped gently down to the green ocean on either side of him. The path extended back into a giant forest and sloped up a mountain as far as he could see. The mountain also wasn't like anything he'd ever seen. It was huge! And there was more than one, he noted with something akin to awe; the path also extended to a mountain in front of him, this time wrapping around it before disappearing from sight.

Draco stood on the path and quietly examined his surroundings. He was in a place lifted directly out of fairy tales, surrounded by mountains but still beside the ocean.

"Hello?" he called, voice echoing back to him in a haunting fashion. "Is there anyone else here?"

In the quiet that followed his cry, he heard the rustling of leaves and turned to face the sloping path again. Harry stood in the forest to the right of the path, smiling at him.

Draco smiled back, marveling at how at peace he felt with the world – how utterly _perfect_ this moment was.

That's when the roaring, rushing sound started.

Draco glanced up the mountain and froze. _Mudslide_, said something inside him, _it's a mudslide! Move!_

_I'm trapped!_ he thought desperately, _Ocean to my left and right and no chance of reaching the shore in time._

"Harry!" he screamed as the filthy water neared. "Harry, help!"

He could see logs and rocks in the onslaught headed towards him now, and white foam forming on the edge of the water in a parody of ocean waves.

"Harry!" he called one last time before the mudslide enveloped him. He tried swimming, tried calling _again_, but he couldn't get enough air into his lungs and his strokes did nothing against the power of the mudslide. When he bobbed to the surface he saw Harry, still smiling, standing safely on the shore.

_Why aren't you helping me?_ he tried to say. _Don't you want to?_

A log hit him in the stomach and he blacked out.

XoX

Author's Notes: Another cliffhanger. Damn. Well, I'm off to start work on the next chapter and soothe your troubled minds! Please review!


	12. Chapter 11: The Truth Revealed

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning(s): Slash, melodrama, Veela, OC's (Draco's father and grandparents)

Author's Note: I just thought I'd reassure everyone that, despite the release of HBP, I'm not going to abandon any of my fics. (I know I'm repeating myself, but I felt that need to do it.) This chapter (finally) moves the plot forward! (Shock and awe!)

XoX

Chapter 11: The Truth Revealed

When Draco woke from his nightmare his clothes were soaked with sweat, and his heart was racing fast. He groaned as he hauled himself out of bed – the light falling across his bed was enough to tell him that it was late enough to get up – pulling on his bathrobe and fumbling downstairs to the kitchen.

Stumbling down the steep steps of 12 Grimmauld Place, Draco barely registered the unfamiliar voices filtering into the hall from the slightly open living room door.

"They're making you do _lessons_ over summer break? Not just homework, but full fledged _lessons_?" someone asked incredulously as Draco pushed the living room door open.

"Don't be silly, Ron," Harry said to the fireplace. "It's not like I'm going to need to remember any of the stuff Mrs. Chamberlain is teaching him – I think the Headmaster just wants to make sure that Draco has a friend."

"How can you _call_ the ferret that?" an ugly, Weasely head in the fireplace all but screeched.

_Well,_ Draco thought. _That at least explains why Harry is talking to the fireplace._

"He's not that bad, Ron. He just takes some getting used to," Harry sighed. "He's been down right pleasant for the last couple of days."

"Yeah, well, try not to strangle the git."

Harry laughed, and Draco's eyes glazed over at the happy sound. "I'll try."

"Harry!" a shrill, female voice cried, and Draco peered over one of the stuffy couches in time to see another head appear. "Ginny says she's really sorry for touching you."

Draco's hands curled into fists. "Potter," he said as pleasantly as he could. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Oh," Harry said, turning to smile at Draco, his mismatched eyes twinkling happily. "Good morning, Draco. I was just talking to Ron and Hermione about the situation here. I hope you don't mind – I told them about your heritage."

"No problem," Draco said, inwardly thinking that yes, this _did_ pose a problem, but it wasn't like he could deny Harry anything anyway. "I'll be in the kitchen."

"Sure," Harry said. "Your grandmother said we had today off – something about dreams? I'm not sure. She's in the kitchen with your mother, why don't you talk to them?"

Draco nodded and made his way from the room, half-listening to Harry's continued conversation with his friends. When he reached the kitchen he paused before going in, hearing raised voices.

"… and you have the _gall_ to come here?" his mother was saying in her angry voice – not yelling precisely, but far scarier then any of Lucius' threats had ever been to Draco.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Narcissa," his grandmother replied coldly. And wasn't _that_ interesting, he'd thought that the two of them would get along. "It has nothing to do with me."

"Right, and I'm Harry Potter," his mother spat.

Draco was about to go in anyway and see if he could mediate when a hand descended on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't," his grandfather, Edward Chamberlain, cautioned. "Never get in the middle of a cat fight – it's worse then a duel with a Dark wizard. Come, let's go sit in the dining room until they're through."

"All right," Draco said, shooting one last look at the closed door. "If you're sure we can't stop them from arguing."

The old man snorted as he and Draco sat at the dining table. "They've never gotten along. Elizabeth was never happy with Narcissa being Rowan's mate. She wanted a nice, Veela girl – not a pure blooded witch."

"Why'd you send my father to Hogwarts, then?" Draco asked curiously.

"He could use wizard magic – bloody useful if you ask me, but Elizabeth didn't think so. You see, my side of the family has always been prone to wizard symptoms. I'm something of a wizard myself, only basic things though. When Rowan was born, he inherited his gift for Wizarding magic from my side, and his powerful Veela magic from Elizabeth's. It was only two magics in combination with a Veela hair wand that allowed him to go to Hogwarts in the first place.

"Rowan was more feminine then the other boys though, so he got the mickey taken out of him quite a lot. And of course, it didn't help that he showed no interest in anyone romantically until Narcissa. Hogwarts was hard on him in a way it isn't on a lot of other kids.

"He didn't go after anyone until my mum? Is that normal?" Draco inquired. "It's just, I _did_ go after people before – I didn't feel for them like I do for my… my mate, but I did 'go after them' if you get my drift."

Ed laughed. "I do indeed. Don't worry; it's just the dilution of the Veela in your blood and your upbringing. Had you been raised as a proper Veela like Elizabeth wanted, you wouldn't have looked twice at anybody else."

"She wanted me to be raised as a Veela?"

"Of course! As soon as she found out Narcissa was pregnant with Rowan's child she tried to collect the both of you. Narcissa wouldn't come, she said that if she did Lucius would kill Rowan." Draco's grandfather sighed and shook his head. "Rowan was, of course, already dead at that time, but Narcissa wouldn't believe us. She insisted on staying behind."

"Oh," Draco said quietly. He could remember his mother when he was younger, she'd been a lot like she was now, but had gradually faded into a cold woman. The perfect Malfoy, Lucius had told Draco repeatedly. That bastard.

XoX

"He is my _son_!" Narcissa yelled. "He is my son and will _not_ leave my side!"

"He is my _grandson_, and more importantly, he is a _Veela_, Narcissa!" Elizabeth screeched. "He needs to be with his own kind!"

"No, he needs to be with his friends! His family!"

"His mate?" Elizabeth asked acerbically. "He has different needs then he used to, Narcissa. You _will_ let him come with me."

Narcissa's eyes glazed over as the _Geas_ was cast.

"Draco _will_ leave Hogwarts and come live with _us_," she continued, smiling slightly as Narcissa began to nod her head.

There was a flash, and Dumbledore tumbled out of the fireplace. Narcissa's eyes cleared.

"Narcissa! Elizabeth! Just the two women I wanted to see."

"It's always a pleasure, Albus," Elizabeth said regally, as the Headmaster bent over to kiss the knuckles on her right hand. "To what do we owe the honour?"

"An offer of employment, my dear," Dumbledore answered. He glanced at Narcissa. "For both of you."

"Employment?" Elizabeth asked, affronted. "Surely you don't think Edward and I are in need of money?"

"Or course not," Dumbledore said, shaking head firmly. "I merely thought you might want to continue teaching Draco once school starts. We have a temporary teaching position open if you and Edward would agree to come work at Hogwarts. And Narcissa, Remus could use your help around here – especially when it comes to controlling Kreacher."

Narcissa nodded right away. "Of course, I'd love to," she said.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was more cautious. "What could we teach the students? We can't use wizard magic."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Care of Magical Creatures of course," he replied. "Our usual teacher is currently negotiating contracts with the Giants and is unavailable until at least Christmas."

Elizabeth thought for a moment, and then sighed. "I suppose we could," she said eventually. "It would certainly help us teach Draco what he needs to know, and even better, it would give us the opportunity to correct some of the Wizarding World's misconceptions about magical creatures."

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore exclaimed, clapping his hands in a manner not unlike that of a four year old. "And may I inquire; has Harry been informed of his… destiny yet?"

Elizabeth frowned. "No," she said testily. "And my grandson is suffering all the more for it. He has nightmares every night now, Albus. Tell the fool to tell his mate."

"It is Draco's decision to make, Elizabeth," Dumbledore said placating. "If he does not want to inform his mate of their connection yet, we must respect his wishes."

"Even is they're just causing the both of them more pain?"

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was somewhat subdued as he nodded his head. "Even then."

XoX

Harry was standing outside the kitchen, ear pressed against the door, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Harry?" Draco asked. "What are you doing?"

Harry just managed to swallow his yelp of surprise before turning to face the other boy. "Sorry," he said, flushing. "I thought I heard my name, but they were talking about you."

"Oh? What did they say?"

Harry blushed even harder. "They were just, uh, talking about your mate. Saying that you should tell your mate sometime soon so you'll stop having nightmares."

Draco smiled softly. "They don't start out as nightmares," he said. "And sometimes they're quite, um…" he trailed off, realising that he was currently talking to his mate. He flushed. "Well, you know."

Harry smiled at Draco. "Yeah, I do."

For a split second Draco felt like grabbing Harry by the neck and demanding to know who the other boy was dreaming about in such an inappropriate manner, but he fought it down in favour of asking Harry a pressing question. "Shall we go eat?"

XoX

Many miles away, Lucius Malfoy was tearing through Narcissa's bedchambers, hair and clothes in complete disarray.

"That _bitch_," he growled, causing the two house-elfs twisting their hands in the doorway to flinch. "Taking my _son_. Who does she think she is?"

Another piece of furniture was upturned, revealing a small, wooden box.

Lucius smirked and wrenched the lid off, tossing the folded handkerchiefs out and coming across a piece of worn paper. As he read the words written on it, he felt the rage that had been boiling below the surface of his mind erupt.

The windows in the room shattered.

Lucius had been taught French at an early age, and so it was no great feat for him to read the letter Rowan had written to Narcissa. Disgusted, he dropped the missive and left the room, apparating out of the Manor as soon as he reached the foyer.

The letter lay face up in the middle of the repackage that had once been Narcissa Malfoy's private chambers.

_Ma Narcissa,_ it said. _Il pleut. Ah! méfie-toi de l'amour. J'ais voulu le fuir parce qu'il me faisait du mal, comme j'ai voulu fuir la ville et ses tentations… _

And, at the very bottom of the page: _Mon amour et mon fils – Je t'adore._

_Rowan_

XoX

French:  
_Mon amour et mon fils – Je t'adore. - _My love and my son – I love you.  
(The rest of the French is not really important to the story, but if you can read it, hooray!)

Author's Note: I love my reviewers soooooo much! Don't give up on this story, I fully intend to finish it! Please review!


End file.
